CALAIS, Maine — The City Council on Thursday gave tentative approval to the closure of Blacksmith Street to help facilitate a San Francisco developer’s plans to commercially develop land he owns in that area.
The street, which adjoins property owned by the Sidney and Nancy Unobskey Foundation, is just off Main Street in downtown Calais. It is near the former site of the Urban Moose store.
The City Council also gave tentative approval to convey 1,374 square feet from the nearby Union Street right of way for the proposed development.
City Manager Diane Barnes, in a letter to Unobskey’s attorney, Dan Lacasse of Calais, sent Friday said the proposed change was contingent upon site development approval by the Calais Planning Board. The developer also will have to come up with an “acceptable alternate” access to Union Street from Main Street, before the project can move forward.
The idea to close the street was proposed to the planning board last year by Lacasse.
Lacasse in October said Unobskey would like to see the city abandon Blacksmith Street for traffic to allow for the area around the former Urban Moose to be renovated and changed into a building site for either a fast-food restaurant or some other fast-food business.
Lacasse said he already was talking with abutting landowners about the change to Blacksmith Street. Right now Blacksmith Street is a rarely used short connector road between Main and Union streets.
The plan also calls for changes to land across the street where Unobskey owns the parking lot at Marden’s Surplus and Salvage Store, as well as land near it.
Unobskey hopes to construct a nearly 16,000-square-foot building that would be used as a retail store on that site.
While the proposed project would take some parking spaces, others would be added.
The plan also calls for another three small stores on the other side of the parking lot. There also are plans for philanthropic charitable agencies to be housed in some current storefronts in the downtown.