If you've driven up Union Street in the past few days, you've likely noticed some major changes at the intersection of Union and 14th St. The old Rite Aid store has been getting a make-over in anticipation for it's changeover to Wallgreen's in the upcoming weeks. But even more conspicuous than that, is the destruction and ultimate leveling of the old Tom T. Irving station.

Crews spent most of the beginning of the week in demolition mode, taking down the structure of the old gas station, and removing some of the pumps. They're also in the process of removing one of the empty neighboring houses. All of this is being done so that construction of a new Tradewinds market can begin in the near future.

Bangor Planning Officer Dave Gould shared with us some of the proposed pans for the new site, which will include an expanded parking lot and much larger structure than the original gas station.

According to the Bangor Daily News, Developer Chuck Lawrence has been working with the City and neighbors in the area to come up with a plan that makes the most sense for the area. "Lawrence aims to replace the Tom T convenience store and Irving gas station that are at the intersection with a 4,200-square-foot Tradewinds convenience store that includes a deli and Citgo gas station. The expanded store would be about four times the size of the existing Tom T..."

Outside sketch
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Proposed layout
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Gould says the final proposal will come before the city in a meeting set for the end of this month. If approved, Lawrence will have two years to complete the project, bringing it into the spring of 2021. But Gould said he suspects the project could be finished much sooner than that. And from the looks of how quickly they started the process of demolition, as soon as the snow cleared, they're blasting full steam ahead on this one.

As someone who lives in the neighborhood, I'm psyched to see this go up. With the proposed deli, craft beer collection and coffee bar, it will be nice not to have to go too far if I run out of something.

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