Biggby project will not continue

The building at 327 W Main St, which had been slated to open as a Biggby Coffee shop and ice cream store, is for sale as plans have stalled for the site.

by Marsha Chartrand

After many months of deliberations and numerous site plan revisions, the developers of the property at 327 W Main St, who had planned to open a Biggby Coffee business at the location, have notified the village that they will not continue to pursue their application.

“For Sale“ signs appeared in the windows of the neatly renovated building this past weekend. In an email to Village Manager Michael Sessions and Village President Pat Vailliencourt last week, investor David Moyle indicated that the architect could not make the plan work with a drive-through and that there “doesn’t seem to be any purpose in pursuing this any farther“ at this time.

This is a disappointing outcome for the developers, the village, and the community, following months of meetings, hearings, plan submissions, anticipation, and hype.

Back in March and April, both the Village Planning Commission and Village Council had given a conditional land use approval, allowing the project to begin moving forward. However, both bodies’ recommendations did include a caveat that far more detail would be needed on an updated site plan to make sure the site was large enough for all the elements included on what was, at that time, a hand drawing.

A site plan submitted in late June for the location also had numerous issues with it, which were relayed to Biggby before and at the July Village Planning Commission meeting. It was agreed at the July Planning Commission meeting that public hearings on variances would be set for August with the understanding that a revised site plan would be submitted in advance of the meetings for further review by CWA Planning. This site plan, too, contained several errors and omissions and could not be considered since there were no Biggby representatives present at the August Planning Commission meeting. A new site plan was requested, as the previous architect’s plan would not work as presented.

Village administration suggested a new site plan designer to the Biggby team after this meeting, who could possibly help resolve some of the issues—which would certainly include requesting zoning variances to address the drive-through concerns. However, the designer, Dave Brewer of Vanston O’Brien, determined that “After review of the documents and a site visit, we would not be able to provide a design that meets the required parking and also includes a drive-through. The site is too small to meet the ordinance requirements and would require several variances that we feel could not all be justified as a hardship, and would likely not be granted.“

Despite the difficulties the site presented, and knowing it was a big chance, everyone involved tried to be optimistic from the beginning. The best efforts, however, were overcome by plain hard numbers and facts that simply didn’t add up for this particular project.

Now, the future of 327 W Main St will be in someone else’s hands. What will it be?

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.