NORTH SMITHFIELD – The owner of a local gas station chain moved forward this week with the purchase of two lots on Eddie Dowling Highway, with preliminary approvals from the North Smithfield Planning Board already in hand.
Azra LLC, a company owned by Scituate-based Village Gas proprietor Zeshan Abid, bought 1241 and 1253 Eddie Dowling Highway for $950,000 from DyNoGra, LLC. The lots currently hold two houses, which Abid plans to demolish to make way for a combined gas station and convenience store with small restaurants inside.
The Planning Board gave preliminary approval to development plan review for the project last month, set to encompass two highway lots totaling around six acres. Abid hopes to construct a 4,155-square-foot building on the properties for a retail store, drive through coffee shop and restaurant, along with a gas station featuring eight regular and four diesel fuel dispensers, 18 parking spaces and a few outdoor tables.
At a meeting on Thursday, Dec. 12, members of Abid’s team said the planners’ early approval would allow the developer to secure the financing needed to purchase the properties. It seems the entrepreneur moved quickly to close on the deal following the meeting, with deeds for the sale signed on Friday, Dec. 27.
Abid plans to merge the lots, which are zoned business highway. Seller DyNoGra, a real estate company based in Cumberland according to records filed with the Secretary of State, already reportedly operated businesses on the land. The two single family homes there now were built in the 1940s, with one situated on a 2.66 acre property that partially abuts land owned by Rustic Tri-View Drive In.
Abid hopes to operate the business 24/7. But first, he’ll need to return before the board for final approval with a detailed landscaping plan, an assessment of water runoff and a report on the current condition of wells in the area. Planners also requested information from the Woonsocket Water Authority regarding an existing easement on the property, and 3D renderings.
