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Preston – The junction of Route 2 and Mathewson Mill Road could be transformed, with a tribute to Preston’s agricultural heritage and a look at future economic development, according to two local developers.
Kenneth and Max Zachem’s father-son partnership hopes to build a new 5,000-square-foot plaza on a five-acre portion of larger land the family owns at 356 Route 2 to house a Lu-Mac’s parcel store. expanded and provide a year round home for Jimmy’s Ice Cream Shop.
The ice cream shop occupied a small building on the corner of a seasonal business until this year, when the Uncas health district determined that the well and septic tank were too close to each other.
Kenneth Zachem, 67, an elected official from the city, said he had the expansion plan in mind for years and now is the time to do it, with customers increasingly looking for a selection of products. wider and more specialized. His son, Max, 28, a civil aircraft mechanic for the Connecticut National Guard in Groton, is set to become the third generation to run the Lu-Mac parcel store and Plaza Lu-Mac.
Lu-Mac’s is named after Kenneth Zachem’s parents, Louise and Mac Zachem.
The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Preston Plains Middle School on the special exception permit needed for the project. The commission could vote on the special exception and the site development plan at the end of the hearing.
The project has approximately 100 parking spaces, one two-lane entrance and one exit-only driveway, both on Mathewson Mill Road for safer access using the Route 2 traffic light.
If approved, the Zachems would begin work on the demolition permit to remove Jimmy’s old building and building permits for the new plaza, Max Zachem said.
The new building would have the appearance of a barn, with a silo on the right side as the main entrance to the new parcel store. Inside, the silo would serve as a well-lit atrium with wooden beams resembling a barn. On the left side, a round outdoor deck and patio would provide Jimmy’s outdoor seating.
The packaging store would move to the new site, from less than 1,000 square feet to 3,500 square feet of disabled-accessible retail space and cooler space. Now the Zachems offer curbside service to customers with disabilities.
There wouldn’t be much room for storage in the new space, Elder Zachem said, because: “I want so many products in the front so people can see them.”
Jimmy’s, run by her husband and wife Jimmy and Karen Dubreuil of Preston, would be 1,500 square feet in size, which would provide the store with indoor seating for the first time that could operate year round. The large terrace and patio would give guests a view of the old farm field and the woods behind the building.
When completed, Lu-Mac’s parcel store would move to the new space, and the Zachems would empty the old store and prepare the space for a new retail, bank, office, or other business development. The square also has a grocery store and a restaurant.
The Zachems own 47 acres on the new location, and they have said they are open to possible ideas for future development, possibly including a grocery store.
“We want to keep the tradition of Preston, but also help the city in its future development,” said Kenneth Zachem.
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