An early sketch plan for the project shows the two mixed-use buildings at the left and the restaurant at the right. Contributed / Town of Falmouth

A restaurant and two buildings for residential and commercial use have been proposed for Falmouth’s Tidewater Village in the Clearwater Drive area.

The development across the street from Rivalries restaurant at 2 Hat Trick Drive could house a barn-style, 4,000-square-foot, as-yet-unnamed restaurant on the western corner of the site along with 8,700-square-foot and 10,200-square-foot, three-story buildings on the southern corner. A single-story hallway would connect the buildings, bound in a block along with the restaurant by Waterview Way, Marigold Lane and Farm Gate Road.

Developer Michael Jacobson of Empire Development LLC does not have any tenants lined up, saying it’s difficult to have people commit before the Planning Board signs off on the project. Jacobson said he envisions a “family-style restaurant” at the site, but he is also open to other tenants, such as medical providers or offices. The residential spaces would be market-rate condominiums for those 55 and older, Jacobson said.

Jacobson was to present a pre-application sketch plan at Falmouth Planning Board’s meeting March 1, after The Forecaster’s deadline. The meeting will be recorded and can be accessed at falmouthme.org/planning-board.

No formal action would be taken this week, said Falmouth Land Use Planner Dawn Emerson.

“A sketch plan discussion is intended to provide both the applicant and the Planning Board with an understanding of the site and the opportunities and constraints created by both the natural environment and the built environment,” Emerson said.

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Jacobson will receive feedback from the Planning Board about how the development should be approached, Emerson said.

Jacobson said it’s too early in the process to have a set timeline for his project.

The area is mostly wooded, with the exception of a parking lot on Farm Gate Road. A buffer between the development and a residential neighborhood behind it on Marigold Lane and Farm Gate Road would be maintained.

When Rivalries was proposed in Falmouth in 2015, it generated backlash from area residents over concerns about traffic along Farm Gate Road. Rivalries had nine on-street parking spaces as part of its plan, which was approved despite concerns aired by Tidewater Farm’s homeowners association. Jacobson said receiving input from both the public and the Planning Board is important so a similar situation can be avoided.

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