Nov. 9—The owners of the North End Shops on Hooksett Road in Manchester want to build two drive-thru restaurants on a vacant lot next door.

The plans before the Zoning Board of Adjustment include a 2,500-square-foot restaurant with seating and an 850-square-foot coffee shop with no seating. The names of the tenants have not been listed.

Variances for signs, internal landscaping and a buffer adjacent to residential districts will be needed for the restaurants to be built. The proposed restaurant and coffee shop are allowed in the B-2 zone but not within the R-1B zone, which a small portion of the property sits on.

The board is set to hear the plans at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Burlington, Mass.-based Linear Retail Properties bought the 1.3-acre property for $750,000. It once housed Shaw's Service Center. Next door, the company renovated the old Maple Tree Mall and rebranded it as North End Shops at Livingston Park in 2017. The plaza is home to Bert's Better Beer, Dollar Tree and La Carreta Mexican Restaurant.

Plans show the larger restaurant to the front of the parcel near Hooksett Road and the smaller coffee shop in the rear. Under the plans, cars will be able to drive onto a common driveway with the North End shops.

The driveway connection also will allow trucks to access the property for deliveries.

"The essential character of the neighborhood will not be altered since the property is currently surrounded by other commercial, retail and restaurants along Hooksett Road," the application reads. "The property, although currently vacant, has historically been used for commercial and retail businesses."

The applicants say dense trees and brush provide "sufficient screening" to nearby homes.

"The proposed drive-thru restaurant uses are allowed in the B-2 zone, which encompasses most of the property," the application reads.

The use is consistent with other business along Hooksett Road. The property will have sufficient lighting and safety measure, according to the application.

"Surrounding properties would not be diminished as the proposed development will strengthen the area aesthetically and economically," the application reads. "The utilization of two quick serve restaurants will enhance the curb appeal of parcel in relation to its existing vacant state."