Attorney Conrad Bareford is getting a lot of questions about what he plans to do with the old gas station and retail building he bought on Mathews Main Street earlier this year. His answer: Whatever the person paying the lease wants.

Bareford said he purchased the lot, which housed a gas station for many years and most recently was a used car lot, largely to get it cleaned up. The previous tenant left and Bareford then hauled off nearly 200 tires, trash and contaminants, and removed the buried gas tanks from the ground.

He said he has no plans to use the building for his own business, so he’s waiting to see who wants to use it.

So far, Bareford said, he’s gotten calls from people interested in using the property for a car repair business, a restaurant, a day care center, and retail space, including for seafood, antiques, and a thrift store.

The site has a lot of potential, said Bareford, and he’s willing to go so far as to allow the building to be torn down and s...