New Subway opening in Johnson

Progress+is+slow

Kayla Friedrich

Progress is slow

Editor’s note: Article used with permission from News & Citizen.

The old Piezanos building on Rte 15 in Johnson has been everything from a laundry mat/ coffee shop, to a garage to a sandwich and pizza shop, and has been abandoned for years, but now it is getting a much needed facelift. There will soon be a new dining option for locals, college students and travelers looking for a quick meal.

Construction is progressing slowly, but Premium Properties LLC, which owns several Subway restaurants in Vermont, is in the process of opening a new Subway at the old Piezanos building on Rte 15, hopefully by Nov. 1 to offer locals, college students and travelers a new dining option. Premium Properties LLC also owns Subway restaurants in Lyndonville, St. Johnsbury, and Morrisville.
“We are taking it one day at a time,” said Jonathon Milne, one of three primary partners at Premium Properties, LLC. “Unfortunately, at the risk of sounding sarcastic, I must say that it will open when it opens.”

Milne said progress is moving slower than hoped, but they want to have it open this year. Originally, Premium Properties was hoping to open a Subway restaurant in Johnson last year, the permitting process took longer than expected, and they only have a team of three guys doing all of the construction work.

“We had a lot of problems with the permitting process,” Milne said. “I think the process was way over the top when we are trying to turn a wretched, rundown building into something new again.”
All necessary permitting procedures were completed for the project back in April, including the preliminary Act 250 approval. Milne and his partners waited for the required public comment period for an Act 250 project to come to an end and then began renovations.

   Work on the exterior of the new Subway building includes the construction of a pitched roof featuring a dormer above the front door. The exterior walls are currently just particleboard, but will eventually be brick on the lower portions with wood siding above it. All new windows and doors will also be installed, and the entryway will be expanded.

A new deck will also replace the old one on the back side of the building to offer outside seating with a view of the Gihon River, and the parking lot around the building, which holds approximately 20 cars, is in the process of being redone. The entire interior of the building has now been gutted and is being restored to look similar to Panera Bread and offer Wi-Fi to customers.

According to Milne the plan is for the new Subway to be open from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. every day but Thursday and Friday, when it will be open until 10 p.m

Milne said he is very excited to offer the Johnson Community a new restaurant with economical and healthy food options as well as jobs, and he believes that the Subway will have healthy competition from the other restaurants in the downtown area. He also says that the other restaurants don’t offer the same products as Subway, so he is optimistic that the new business will do well in that location.