Frontier House concept presented
Board also lends support to Barone Mohawk Street plan

Story and photo by Joshua Maloni
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, December 15, 2007

A photo of a sketch of a conceptual build around the Frontier
House in Lewiston. Shown is the Center Street side.

The Village of Lewiston Planning Board has received a conceptual design outlining developer Richard Hastings’ intent to build around the Frontier House while renovating the historic building.

The sketch, created by the EI Team of architects and engineers, shows a four-story, U-shaped complex erected above the parking lot and former McDonald’s Restaurant drive-through, facing both Center and Ridge streets. In the abstract model, the ground floor serves as a parking lot. The second floor houses a retail store or stores. The third and fourth floors are condominium-style residential units.

The Frontier House, which has deteriorated since McDonald’s left in 2004, would be shored up and operate as a guesthouse.

Architect Timothy E. Kupinski, RA, speaking on Hastings’ behalf, said the goal is to revitalize the Frontier House while giving its surrounding, empty space an urban edge. He said his firm is eager to work with the Planning Board on creating a project that both fits into Village Code specifications and is respectful of the building’s history.

Kupinski said Hastings would look into the project’s pro forma and review changes made to the drawing since the Planning Board reviewed it last month. The two men will return to meet with the Planning Board in the first quarter of 2008.

Barone Project Updated

On Monday, developer Sonny Barone’s son, Charlie, presented the Planning Board with a revised concept to build five homes on the vacant, 1.67-acre, wooded area his family owns on Mohawk Street. In this plan, the 1,600 square-feet units would be constructed in a U-shape and accessed via a new, public road. The back row of houses would abut almost 300 feet of untouched land, which will serve as a buffer with Oxbow Lane residences.

For all intents and purposes, this plan would require no or very moderate variances. As such, the board offered its approval of the project with one caveat: Members strongly advised Barone that each driveway face the new road and not Mohawk Street.

“I really think this is the best option we’ve seen,” Planning Board member Kristin Gamble said. She and her colleagues had previously reviewed a half-dozen sketches from the builder, each positioning homes in a different fashion on the parcel.

“We really tried to make it work,” Charlie Barone said of the current design. He added, “I think this subdivision will sell out before we put in the road.”

Sonny Barone, who missed the presentation to attend a funeral, is expected to submit a preliminary plat to the board early in the new year. If the board accepts that proposal, he would be given six months to submit a final plat.

A public hearing would be required before the plan could receive an ultimate go-ahead.