Topsham Fair Mall is getting a new injection of activity — a health care facility.
The medical and professional office space will be moving into the 105 Topsham Fair Mall Road building that previously housed Best Buy and Dollar Tree, which is being redeveloped for the new operations.
The application for the new facility was approved by the town’s planning board in early November 2017.
In October 2016, Best Buy did not renew its lease for that location; Dollar Tree will move to 131 Topsham Fair Mall Road, the previous home of Bed, Bath, and Beyond, which also will be renovated for its new tenant.
Buffalo Wild Wings, which is also located at 105 Topsham Fair Mall Road, will remain at its current location with the medical facility.
Nathan Bateman, of Bateman Partners LLC, applied for the redevelopment project in November. Bateman said he could not yet reveal the name and type of facility, but an announcement is expected soon.
According to Town Assistant Planner Carol Eyerman, the building will look entirely different than the old Best Buy store. The application submitted to the planning board calls for a move away from the current big box-look of the current building.
Sketches submitted to the planning board appear to show new entrances, with an open atrium at the front of the facility. Anne Callender, an architect from Whipple Callender Architects, presented the plan that also proposes new gardens outside large windows where, she said, “patients receiving treatments inside could enjoy the gardens outside.”
Allied Cook Construction will be doing the work at the site.
The landscape of the Topsham Fair Mall Road may change in front of the site as well, with the mall’s master plan calling for the right turning lane to become a sidewalk. A new sidewalk may also be added to connect to the existing sidewalk, pending approval.
The town implemented the master plan as a guide for development and redevelopment efforts in the Topsham Fair Mall area. The plan keeps traffic impact in mind, while also maintaining safety for bikes and pedestrians in the area.
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