Planning Board Approves Reconstructed Retail Gas Station On Cottage Street
Project includes demolishing current building and decreasing curb cuts
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BAR HARBOR—A gas station next to the town’s municipal building on Cottage Street was approved to undergo a massive redevelopment during the Bar Harbor Planning Board’s June 4 meeting.
Currently, the site at 99 Cottage Street is an Irving Oil retail motor fuel outlet.
There is a one-story building that hosts a 1,449-sf convenience store. The fueling area had two gas pumps for four positions. There is no canopy over those pumps. There’s also a paved lot that holds 13 spaces and large curb cuts on Cottage Street and Holland Avenue. There are also two 8,000-gallon underground tanks that store fuel.
That will change, likely with demolition and construction starting this fall, according to representatives of Tropic Star Development.
“It’s going to be a big improvement, a huge improvement,” Board Chair Millard Dority said during a meeting June 4.
The building will be razed. In its place will be a retail motor fuel outlet, a 3,500-square -foot convenience store. A canopy will cover the three fuel islands that will host six positions for vehicles to fuel. There will be a paved lot with 10 parking spaces.
There will also be an outdoor seating patio for customers and new sidewalks and stairs to Cottage Street. The curb cuts to Cottage and Holland will also be smaller.
Angled pumps would allow people to come more easily off Cottage Street and more easily get off the site. There will be a brick lower base on the building and then cement board products higher on the structure.
There will be one new fuel tank, which the application described as a “24,000-gallon, state of the art double-wall fiberglass underground fuel storage tank.” There will also be new sidewalks and crosswalks.
There were no written comments from citizens about the project, which was approved and found complete by the planning board.
During the portion of the meeting where the public can speak, the next door neighbors said that most of their questions were answered during the presentation.
“It looked really great,” Ann Dalton said and appreciated the description of the landscaping included in the application.
Greg Dalton asked if it was compliant about lot coverage. It is.
Though the project was found complete, the town’s code enforcement officer can’t issue any building permits until the project has received fire marshal approval, Department of Environmental Protection Notice of Intent for removal and installation of an underground storage tank; and a Town of Bar Harbor “Road and Sidewalk Opening Permit” has been obtained.
The hope is for it to tie into Bar Harbor’s aesthetic more and not be an “eye sore,” a representative of the company said.
Planning Board Vice Chair Ruth Eveland praised the storm water management plan and the plan for pedestrians.
“It’s so much safer as well as much more attractive,” Eveland said.
Planning Board member Terry Wagner asked how long the project is expected to take.
The build will be approximately five months. The contractors will have to demolish the building and dispose of hazardous material and also remove the underground fuel tanks. The goal is to open in March or April of 2026. They do not anticipate beginning the work during the summer season.
There may be a short period of time where they will have to stage a tractor trailer truck to move the fuel tanks away. This may disrupt traffic.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
To find out more about the planning board
FOR THE COTTAGE STREET APPLICATION
Application (submitted 4/10/2025)
Application Plans and Drawings (submitted 4/10/2025)
Revised Project Narrative (submitted 4/22/2025)
Project Experience Memo (submitted 4/22/2025)
Revised Plans (submitted 4/22/2025)
Public Hearing Notice (uploaded 6/4/2025)
Staff Report for Public Hearing (uploaded 6/4/2025)
Draft Decision (uploaded 6/4/2025)
For additional information, or if there are any questions, please contact Hailey Bondy by calling the Planning Department at 288-1783 or by emailing hbondy@barharbormaine.gov.
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