Flemington vacant gas station eyed for new restaurant
FLEMINGTON - The Filling Station may be finally filled.
Plans have been filed with the borough to convert the vacant gas station at 144 Main St., which was home to the borough's popular summer beer garden in recent years, into a restaurant called Millie's Buncheonette.
The borough acquired the abandoned Hineline gas station at the corner of Main and William streets through a tax foreclosure. But because of environmental problems, the borough had difficulties selling the property for several years.
In October 2021, the borough sold the .38-acre property to Tidbits NJ of Lambertville for $220,000. Tidbits NJ is owned by Lambertville resident Michael Bird.
Plans call for a 2,336-square foot addition to the existing 1,168-square foot building that served as a two-bay garage. The L-shaped addition will be built to the rear and north of the existing building.
The plans provide for 48 seats at tables inside the restaurant, 11 seats at counters and 16 outdoor seats. There will be seven parking spaces.
The conversion of the vacant gas station, which generated no property taxes, into a restaurant has been long-awaited. Because the property was a former gas station and garage, the site had to undergo remediation overseen by the state Department of Environmental Protection. Nine monitoring wells have been installed on the property and six monitoring wells have been installed off-site.
Local:Route 12 in Flemington eyed for townhome development
The proposal has to be approved by the borough planning board but no date has been set for the public hearing.
The beer garden was started in 2016 by the Flemington Community Partnership as an effort to bring people to downtown Flemington. Volunteers built a raised garden bed lining the property, built benches, stained 10 picnic tables, repainted the building and constructed conduit poles to string lights for a tenting effect.
It quickly became a popular destination, attracting hundreds on weekend evenings.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Flemington: Restaurant planned at vacant Main Street gas station
