SILVERTON — The Silverton business district will get a new neighbor, Silverton Square, an office and retail development, planned by the Belvedere Corp.

        Belvedere has purchased the buildings at the northwest corner of Plainfield and Montgomery roads from Rite Aid, which abandoned plans to build a drugstore there in 1999.

        Steve Fahrnbach, vice president of development for Belvedere, would not say how much money is being spent on the project.

        Rite Aid had planned to spend $2.5 million for a superstore and pharmacy before corporate cutbacks.

        “We have already demolished one of the buildings in back of the main building for a new, large rear parking area,” Mr. Fahrnbach said. “We have a lot of work to do on the building to get it in shape to look like a downtown building.”

        The building that was demolished once housed a printing shop.

        The building that will be refurbished once housed the Lighthouse Annex, a Buddy Rogers Music store and the Paramount Fitness Center.

        Mr. Fahrnbach said the refurbished building will include two suites, with a total of more than 5,800 square feet.

        Belvedere owns the Vernon Manor and the Netherland Plaza hotels.

        “Silverton Square will be a good addition to our business district,” said David Waltz, city administrator. “It will add an attraction to that corner.”

        He said plans for the Silverton Square have been approved by the Silverton Design Review Board.

        When the job of municipal administrator was created under a charter amendment four years ago, the main focus was on developing more businesses.

        Two other businesses, across the street from the proposed Silverton Square, expanded last year.

        Italianette Pizza at 6918 Plainfield Road spent $250,000 to change its business from a carryout to a sit-down restaurant.

        DRS-Bonded (Diversified Recovery Systems) spent $325,000 to add 4,200 square feet of office space to its building at 6906 Plainfield Road.

        The Gambro Health Care facility on Silverton Avenue houses an outpatient kidney dialysis clinic that opened last year.

        A CVS store opened in 2000, built on the site of the old Grafton's Restaurant, a block from the Plainfield-Montgomery intersection.

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