AUGUSTA - A new 49-seat wine bar could be coming to one of Augusta’s struggling neighborhoods.
Developers Tobias Parkhurst and James Bass will ask the Augusta City Council on Thursday to sell them a long-abandoned building on Canal Street at the base of the city’s Sand Hill Neighborhood for $1. The brick building is the last remaining structure of the Edwards Mill, the rest of which burned in 1989.
The powerhouse structure is a 1,750 sq. ft. two-story building that will need new floors, windows and entrances, according to a proposal set to be reviewed by council. In their pitch, the developers describe Augusta’s revitalization as “real and sustainable,” noting that since 2016, the downtown has added 11 new restaurants/bars/coffeehouses or candy shops, five new professional offices and 52 new market-rate apartments.
Parkhurst and Bass are co-founders of Cushnoc Brewing Co., a popular microbrewery downtown, and State Lunch, a restaurant that was recently named the best new restaurant in Maine by DownEast Magazine.
The developers estimate their newest project will cost between $750,000 to $1.5 million.
The proposal is consistent with a council goal set earlier this year to stimulate development in the Sand Hill neighborhood.
The council will meet at 6:30 p.m. for a discussion about the proposal.
