There will be a second public hearing shortly to decide whether the proposal will receive site-plan approval. "It's a fact-finding mission," Leslie Dorr, office administrator for the town planning board, tells GlobeSt.com. The town will examine issues like store dimensions, parking, lighting, drainage and landscaping. Dorr adds that her office has received numerous letters from residents opposing the plan being proposed by developer Lavender & Associates.

Those opposed, including the town's Historic District Commission, are reportedly concerned that the pharmacy will ruin the character of the area that contains a number of historical local landmarks. The property is just outside the town's central historical district. But the expansion of the historical district by a recently passed bylaw would include these properties. If the designation stands, then the commission would have the right to review the design of the building. Then the pharmacy would not be able to be built without the commission's approval.

But Dorr is quick to note that "the town has not taken a stand on the proposed plan of the store."