The triangular shaped building on Purhcase Street and Wappanocca Avenue will not be the new home of a Peachwave Yogurt shop. The building’s owner withdrew his Planning Board application last week after it became clear the city was not going to allow the yogurt shop to open there, according to the hopeful Peachwave franchise owner Gregg Roberts.
“From our perspective, there was a bit of perception versus reality issue,” Roberts said.
Neighbors were concerned about the traffic and parking situation at the location and spoke out against the plans at public hearings earlier this year.
In 2006, Eric Coppola bought the building, which was an abandoned gas station. He cleaned it up and developed it into a retail space. At the time, the Planning Commission said it would approve Coppola for 16 parking spots on site but that if he were ever to put a food-based retail there he would need to return to the Commission to prove the parking would be sufficient and get a new approval.
With plans to lease the space to Roberts for Peachwave, Coppola conducted a traffic study that showed traffic would not be an issue, but the community and Plannign Baord did not agree.
“We were getting the sense that it wasn’t going to be permitted at that location so we decided to abandon ship,” Roberts said. Althought Roberts lost money on the situation and is a bit “frustrated” with the situation, he still hopes to open a Peachwave in Rye.
“We would very much like to be in Rye,” Roberts said. He is looking for a new space for the yogurt spot. Read more about his plans for Peachwave here.
