'Unique' redevelopment of South Portland armory set to begin early next year
Courtesy of Priority Real Estate Group
The front section of the former National Guard armory in South Portland will be renovated into a convenience store and office building.
Courtesy of Priority Real Estate Group
The redevelopment of the former armory at 682 Broadway in South Portland will include the demolition of the drill hall at the back of the building.
The redevelopment of the former National Guard armory in South Portland into a gas station and office building is on track to begin within three months and be completed by the middle of next year.
The $4.8 million project from Topsham-based Priority Real Estate Group involves restoring the brick-faced, two-story front section of the armory to its original character and demolishing the 30,000-square-foot drill hall on the backside.
The armory, built in 1941 and located at 682 Broadway, is considered to be in a prime location for the new uses, said James Howard, president of the commercial real estate firm buying the building.
“It’s located at the foot of the Casco Bay Bridge, so when you come into South Portland, you’re looking right at it,” he said. “That section of South Portland has a substantial need for convenience stores and for gas sales. We build two or three stores per year, but this is the first time we’ve had so many folks reach out and ask, ‘When are you going to open? We really need this here.’”
The Irving gas station pumps will be located behind the building in the place of the drill hall, and the convenience store, which will also contain a coffee shop, deli and tourist information center, will be located on the first floor of the 4,800-square-foot front building.
The store and eatery are expected to employ about 20 people. The city will stock and staff the information center, Howard said.
Locating the gas pumps behind the building in the place of the former drill hall is a unique aspect of the project and is similar to a project the firm completed in Topsham in 2013, Howard said.
He said the real estate investment and development firm is talking with a variety of entities interested in acquiring the historical materials that will be deconstructed from the drill hall, including the brick facing, large wooden beams and hardwood floors.
Construction is planned to begin by Feb. 1.
“The project is unique,” Howard said, “taking an old armory and repurposing it to a more modern use.”
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