Walter Alford, partner in the development company HARC LLC, talked to the Mathews Planning Commission Tuesday night about his vision for revitalizing a portion of downtown Mathews.

Explaining to commission members that he hadn’t yet purchased the property involved and that he wouldn’t go forward with the purchase if they came up with strong initial objections, Alford laid out a proposal that would begin with demolishing part of Christie Auto Care and turning what was left into mixed retail, residential and bed-and-breakfast use.

He further proposes building a 16-unit townhouse or duplex structure with garages in the parking lot behind Christie’s and, in a cooperative endeavor with Scott Riley, turning two buildings he owns behind Chef Todd’s and Stewart’s Carpet and Tile into residential or mixed-use structures with parking below and garden units above. Riley would be responsible for that aspect of the plan, said Alford, but it would all be one tight...