WATERVILLE — The corner of Main and North streets will have a whole new look next year when a Rusty Lantern Market and Irving gas station are built there.

The business will be constructed at 222 Main St. after a building at that address as well as buildings at 220 and 224 Main are scheduled to be demolished starting in May, and the project is slated to be completed in September. The development will sit on 1.22 acres.

Open 24 hours, it will employ about 15 people, with five employees on each of three shifts, said Curt Neufeld, vice president of engineering for First Priority Capital LLC, based in Topsham.

The store will include a kitchen where food is made fresh for takeout or dining in an indoor seating area that has a fireplace. Outdoor patio seating also is planned with small tables, some of which will feature little fires in the center of the table. Three gas pumps, located away from the tables, will be installed to allow six people to fuel their vehicles at one time.

The Waterville Planning Board approved final plans for the project Nov. 25, with conditions that landscaping must be completed by Dec. 31, 2026, and Main Street entrances to the site not be used for demolition and construction purposes.

Based in Brunswick, Rusty Lantern has 35 markets in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island; Waterville’s would be the 36th. Neufeld said the company tries to become part of the communities it serves and donates about $100,000 to charities annually. It also uses Maine builders and banks.

Neufeld said lighting around the development will be “dark sky compliant,” meaning no light will trespass onto nearby properties except at entrances to the site, for safety reasons.

At the Planning Board meeting, Catherine Carson-Gabriel said she leases the building at 220 Main for a program she founded and owns, 10 Forward LLC, which supports families and communities and those with cognitive impairments. She said she is a big fan of Rusty Lantern and Irving, which she has patronized for more than five years, spending $1,500 a year there, on average.

But she said she was not made aware, in the fall of 2024 when she moved her residence and business to Waterville and made a significant investment, that the site might be sold and her building torn down.

Carson-Gabriel said she was saddened the city will allow the demolition of a beautiful house and two houses next to it, although she is aware the board “can’t veto anything already kind of set, zoning-wise.” She asked, however, that the city consider such matters in the future.

“My concern is that, while there may be currently no zoning issue or permission issue that can concern this Planning Board,” she said, “I hope that you will, overall, consider zoning that will protect our beautiful houses and consider the balance of commerce and residential.”

Carson-Gabriel added she is concerned about the increase in traffic in that area from the project and how it will affect emergency services, as the fire station is just down the street.

Planning Board member David Johnson, who was filling in as chairman in the absence of Samantha Burdick, thanked her for her comments.

“It’s always disappointing when we lose housing, when we lose buildings,” Johnson said, “especially nice looking buildings, and I would encourage you to go speak with the City Council and your councilor, reach out to the mayor. They would be the ones that would initiate steps for preventing things like this from happening in the future.”

Neufeld said the buildings were not eligible for consideration as historic buildings and they are in a location that has become largely commercial. He told Carson-Gabriel that if she has difficulty re-locating her business and home, his company will be happy to try to help.