New Baltimore Biggby Hopes for Early April Opening

Biggby Coffee of New Baltimore's first customers may be ordering frozen and iced drinks because the opening date is slated for warmer months this year.

"We’re hoping for late March/early April, but what happened was we finally got bank approval for the loan and they said the approval process has to go through an appraiser and now it’s in the appraiser’s hands," Jim Dehem said Tuesday.

It has not been determined when the appraisal will be complete, Dehem said.

The Biggby store is scheduled to on Green near Washington streets across from . The franchisee was set to , but the lending process and construction needs put a monkey wrench in those plans.

Besides the loan getting approved, construction must take place in the parking lot to prevent the possibility of flooding. That cannot be accomplished until temps rise again.

"Nothing could be done to this property until the storm retention basin could be installed underneath the parking lot," Dehem said.

However, once the loan is signed, interior construction can begin, including the installation of a drive-thru window. The parking lot work will be done last, he said.

Dehem and wife Kathy did not expect the store opening to take so long.

"We’re very frustrated because we started out initial looking into this project in March 2010 so it will be two years ago," he said.

But, they're optimistic of the business' success.

"Everybody sure seems to be excited about it," said Dehem, adding he hopes that community anticipation leads to solid customer turnout.

Meanwhile, Bay-Rama told Patch behind Biggby Coffee in New Baltimore as an investment property.