A dilapidated corner property that was once a gas station will soon have new life breathed into it by a local entrepreneur.
The Planning and Zoning Commission gave its blessing Tuesday to Ushfaq Ahmed’s plans for the spot at 160 Elizabeth St. — formerly Vick’s Service Station.
The building, at the corner of Fifth Street next to the former City Hall, will be renovated into a convenience store.
“That corner has looked pretty bad for the last 20 years,” said property owner Brian Calvert, who bought it two years ago. He also is the owner of Calvert Safe and Lock at 40 Caroline St.
“This is a great success,” Calvert said of the commission’s unanimous approval of Ahmed’s application.
The store will sell food, coffee, sandwiches and newspapers and will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Two residents interviewed on the Derby Green Wednesday said they’ll be happy to see the cruddy property reborn.
“I think it would suit us just fine,” said Esther Joyner, who lives on Fifth Street.
Joyner said that there are many people like herself with disabilities in the area. Walking down Elizabeth Street to the gas stations and convenience stores there can be difficult, she said.
“For somebody with a cane or a walker, it’d be a convenience,” Joyner said of the new store. It should be kid-friendly, she suggested, to take advantage of the daycare nearby on Fifth Street.
Ricky Boyce, a resident of Seventh Street, said that a large percentage of residents in the area are on a budget or use food stamps.
“If the new store can take food stamps, it’ll work,” Boyce said.
Both said that they hope the competition new convenience store provides will drive down prices at the other stores on Elizabeth Street.
The 1,400 square foot building was built in 1928 and is assessed at $134,190, according the the city’s land records.
Vick’s Service Station closed years ago and the gas pumps were removed from the site, Ahmed said.
One of the four entrances to the site will be closed, which will provide more off-street parking, according to Tracy Lewis, a land surveyor working for Ahmed.
There will be 10 parking spaces in front of the store. There will be substantial landscaping improvements in addition to the work on the building, Lewis said.
“I think the applicant did an excellent job improving the appearance there,” said the commission’s consultant, Ryan McEvoy of Milone and McBroom. “That intersection will be much better.”
