Ellicott Development eyeing Ace Hardware for Lewiston plaza

By Joshua Maloni

GM/Managing Editor

Ellicott Development has submitted plans to the Village of Lewiston to reconfigure building No. 3 in its Center Street lot. The proposed tenant is Ace Hardware.

In a letter to the municipality, Ellicott Development Planning & Development Coordinator Jeremy P. Wassel wrote, "In December 2016, we received Planning Board approval to construct our 3-building retail plaza at 760-790 Center Street, located at the northwest corner of Center Street and N 8th Street intersection. After some delays (COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain, etc.), Buildings #1 (760 Center Street) and #2 (790 Center Street) opened in Spring 2021, and Building # 3 (780 Center Street) opened in Fall 2021. We have been actively marketing commercial space since 2016, but the available commercial space has been slow to fill.

“In February 2024, following a continued lack of success in securing a commercial tenant for the ground floor of Building #3, we received Planning Board approval for an alternate plan to enclose the drive-thru lane and convert the majority of the 1st floor of Building #3 into 10 market-rate apartments along with a small commercial suite, approximately 3,100 square feet in size, on the eastern end of the ground floor facing N 8th Street. Those plans ultimately proved to be cost-prohibitive, and the ground-floor conversion was put on hold.

“Recently, we executed a lease with a retail tenant to occupy the entire vacant commercial space (approximately 16,148 square feet) on the ground floor of Building #3. In order to accommodate the tenant's needs, we are proposing to enclose the drive-thru lane. As proposed, the infill area on the front elevation will be detailed to match the adjacent storefront sections on the ground floor, including aluminum-framed glazing and EIFS. As proposed, the infill area on the rear elevation will include EIFS infill and a roll-up panel door to allow for deliveries. The site area around Building #3 is proposed to remain as it currently exists and as was initially approved in December 2016.”

Ellicott Development currently has Tim Hortons as a tenant in plaza building No. 1, and Quest Diagnostics as a renter in building No. 2. The top floor of building No. 3 features residential rental units.

The plaza was first proposed to the Village of Lewiston toward the end of 2012, following news Ellicott Development purchased the vacant land at 756, 784-790 Center St. The company’s proposal was approved in November 2016, and a groundbreaking took place in November 2018. Tim Hortons opened Dec 15, 2020.

Ace Hardware logo courtesy of the company.

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Per its website, “Ace Hardware has over 5,000 stores around the world with the majority of those stores independently owned and operated by local entrepreneurs. …

“Ace stores come in all sizes and shapes based on the needs of each individual neighborhood. We have small, urban stores, large rural stores and everything in between. …

“Founded in 1924 by a small group of Chicago hardware store owners, Ace changed the retail landscape by allowing individual stores to purchase merchandise in bulk to save money and buy at the lowest possible price. This partnership enabled even the smaller stores to compete effectively at retail despite larger stores in their market. And to this very day, Ace Hardware Corporation is still owned solely and exclusively by the local Ace retail entrepreneurs.”

NFP reached out to Ellicott Development on deadline for this week’s edition. As of this writing, it would only offer a deal with Ace Hardware is “conditioned on financing.”

A call to the Ace Hardware media team was not returned.