NEWBURYPORT — A Panera Bread franchise company aims to open a new shop with a drive-through on Storey Avenue by this summer.
Mitch Roberts, a co-owner of PR Restaurants, LLC, a franchise company that owns 29 Panera Bread shops north of Route 128, said yesterday his plan is under review by the city's Zoning Board of Appeals, and he intends to file the site plan review with the Planning Board today.
The plan calls for opening a Panera Bread shop at 53 Storey Ave., the site of the former Ming Jade.
Roberts said he expects the proposal to be under review by city boards for several months, but the company hopes to start construction in the midsummer.
When the company started a dozen years ago, company officials identified 30 locations that they believed would be an ideal spot for a Panera, due to how the community met certain criteria, including the size of the business community and seasonal traffic, Roberts said.
"Newburyport's been on that list literally for 12 years," he said.
Over time, the company has made several attempts to try to reach a deal to move onto Storey Avenue, the space they had identified as the perfect spot, Roberts said. Downtown Newburyport is beautiful and should really be a place for local businesses rather than national chains, he said.
Storey Avenue is a commercial corridor filled with businesses where people do their "daily needs" shopping, and "that's where Panera really fits in," Roberts said.
Four different locations have been looked at on Storey Avenue over the years, including the Ming Jade property and Port Plaza, he said.
The hearing on the Panera Bread proposal will continue at the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on March 23, said Mark Griffin, the attorney for the bake shop.
"We are looking forward to being part of the Newburyport community," Roberts said, adding that the shop works with local charitable groups, matching donations and giving unsold baked goods to local shelters and food pantries.
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
