A Belfast property that used to be a cafe could soon be replaced by a branch of Maine State Credit Union.
The site at 15 Belmont Ave. — which is also Route 3 — used to be the home of Bell the Cat, a coffee and sandwich shop that still has a sign outside the building, but now operates at a different nearby location at 18 Hatley Rd.
The new credit union branch wouldn’t be the only significant commercial project to recently happen in that part of Belfast, which is the gateway for many drivers entering the downtown area from the west. Convenient MD opened an urgent care location across the street at the start of 2024.
Maine State Credit Union, which has acquired the property at 15 Belmont Ave., has proposed razing the old cafe and constructing a two-story, 6,200-square-foot building in its place, according to an application going before the Belfast planning board on Wednesday.
The proposal is an update to a previous one that was already approved by the city for the credit union to build a 560-square-foot office space with a drive-through ATM and window at the former restaurant property.
It was not clear when Bell the Cat moved to the Hatley Road location. An employee declined to comment on Monday morning.
The Augusta-based credit union has at least five other branches, stretching across central and midcoast Maine.
