BIDDEFORD — United Growth, a California-based development company, plans to break ground before winter on a project to add a coffee shop with a drive-through, a sandwich shop and retail businesses to a 4.8-acre property across from The Shops at Biddeford Crossing.

The development, at 580 Alfred St., will be smaller than previously reported, including approximately 14,500 square feet of business space split between two buildings, Shawn Frank, a civil engineer at Sebago Technics, told the Planning Board at a meeting last week. Project officials told Planning Board members at a meeting three months ago that the project would include more than 19,000 square feet of busi- ness space within a single building.

The size reduction is the result of “some tenant changes,” explained Frank. The tenants of the development have not yet been identified.

“Last time we were here we had a big-box tenant and that’s what got lost, so that’s changed the leasing and the mix and in doing that we’ve been able to go down to two structures,” added Zeden Jones, an architect at United Growth.

At the meeting in May, board members raised some concerns over traffic flow within the development as well as the design of the storefronts, and city officials seemed pleased last week with the changes the developer had made.

“I like what you’ve done as far as the traffic flow within the site and the change to the architecture so that it’s more of a New England, traditional or small-town village look rather than the big-box institutional look,” said Planning Board member William Southwick.

“The applicant has done what I would say is a very good job addressing the concerns of the board that were raised … at the last meeting,” added City Planner Greg Tansley.

Frank said drivers will be able to access the development through the signalized intersection that marks the entrance to Biddeford Crossing.

“Right now it’s pretty much a gravel drivway to an existing residential home,” he said of the future access way, which will lead drivers to a parking lot behind the buildings.

Since construction crews will be working with a cement fiber product that cannot be used in cold weather, Jones said they should be breaking ground on the project “very soon.”

A plan to develop the property several years ago never moved forward, and according to city documents, United Growth purchased it from Old Dogs of Biddeford LLC last summer.

— Staff Writer Angelo J. Verzoni can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].