Sawyer Savings Bank is looking to move from Vineyard Avenue in the Highland hamlet to Route 9W, where Casa Mia Restaurant is currently located. The bank has filed a commercial site plan with the Lloyd Planning Board, which, after some discussion, set the public hearing on the application for March 28 at 7 p.m.
The plan calls for the demolition of the existing 6,500-square-foot restaurant and then the construction of a new, one-story 4,185-square-foot branch building with one drive-up teller lane and one drive-up ATM lane.
“We want to provide better services for our customers,” said Cindy Saporito, senior vice president and CEO of Sawyer Savings Bank. She noted that at its current location, the bank did not have a drive-up teller lane and had limited parking, space “and visibility.”
Saporito said that the bank was under “contract” with the owners of Casa Mia. The restaurant is still open, but the bank CEO said that the owners were looking to sell and retire.
Planning Board chair Scott Saso asked if the applicant had made any progress on the issue of a septic system. He was told that Sawyer had an appointment with the Department of Health to review various options this coming week. Stormwater runoff and drainage was also an issue on which the Planning Board asked the applicant to provide further detail. “We’re hoping you can present something to us and the public as to what the new building will look like, with color samples, et cetera,” said Saso.