Staff Writer
A Caribou landmark is expected to be demolished later this year when the building that housed the JC Penney store for more than 50 years comes down to make room for a parking lot.
The local Planning Board accepted the conceptual plan after a public hearing Thursday evening. The Sweden Street building, which was a mainstay in downtown Caribou, was built in 1920 and housed commercial space on the main floors. There were apartments on the upper floors. J.C. Penney, which initially opened in 1926 in Caribou, moved into this location in 1939.
Penney’s closed in Caribou in 1993 when the store moved its operations to the Aroostook Centre Mall in neighboring Presque Isle. Since then, the building has remained vacant.
The U.S. Postal Service, which is located adjacent to the Penney building, purchased the space last year and plans to build a parking lot, according to documents filed with the city.
The USPS wants to expand the capacity of the current parking lot and improve traffic circulation. The construction is expected to begin this spring. A combined entrance and exit is proposed on Record Street, an entrance on Sweden Street and an exit on Grange Street.
According to the plan, the proposed project will result in five fewer off-site parking spaces on Sweden Street, but on-site parking will increase from 12 existing parking spaces to a total of 26 spaces, a net increase of nine spaces.
The plan will result in more parking for the city, which is now occupied for postal employees and customers.
Another part of the project is to have the one-way traffic on Grange Street, which is between the Penney building and the former Dan’s Living Center building, reverse direction. A hearing on that proposal was scheduled during the City Council’s Monday night session.
During the Thursday presentation, the city’s code enforcement officer, Stephen Wentworth, said that the building had deteriorated after being allowed to “go cold.”
“If the building had been renovated years ago,” said Wentworth, “they would have saved the structure.”
During the public hearing, some concern was voiced regarding the lack of green space within the parking lot. An engineer from WBRC Architects – Engineers from Bangor, John Kenney, said that a section of the lot bordering Herschel and Grange Streets would be planted with trees, rose bushes and day lilies. Kenney also said that a new pedestrian guardrail also would be installed.
Planning Board Member Dave Sokolich suggested that additional green space be considered for the Sweden Street portion of the parking lot, which would be more visible to the public than the back portion of the lot.
Two members of the public spoke in favor of the demolition and construction proposal.
“I’m glad the see (the city) going forward on the Penney building,” said John Belanger. “It’s making good use of it, rather than the blight we have now.”
David Bell also voiced support, adding that he was pleased with the Postal Service footing the bill for the project.
