Stafford Trading Post may move to new building

As long as just about anybody can remember the Stafford Trading Post has been located in the Odd Fellows building at the corner of Main and Transit, but that may change before long.

The Stafford Planning Board approved a site plan last night for the adjoining lot, 6167 Main Road.

Owner Tom Englarth has been seeking approval for construction of a building suitable to a convience store and deli for nearly a year. Englarth expects Shelley Macan-Mouery, the current owner of the Stafford Trading Post, to move her store to the new location.

Laughing after the meeting, Englarth said, "I've never worked so hard to spend so much money in my life.

The new building will be fronted by 17 parking spaces and have a dining area for up to 25 people.

The site plan application says the proposed business will employ three people fulltime. The board stipulated that the occupant cannot be open for business between midnight and 5 a.m.

Macan-Mouery said this morning she isn't ready to discuss the possible relocation.

The lot is part of the four corners area, which has been designated a historical district.

Linda Call, president of the Stafford Historical Society, expressed concern during the meeting that the new building won't fit within the historical nature of the district.

"This is the most historic section of the Town of Stafford," Call said. "Doesn't this represent a modern intrusion into the district?"

Code Enforcement Officer Lester Mullen noted the current lot is vacant.

"It would be nice to fill that lot with something that would be good for the town," Mullen said.

"We're certainly mindful of the historic nature of the district," said board member Sharon Valyear-Gray, "but the current owner of the Odd Fellows building hasn't done anything with it."

The site plan passed on a unanimous vote.