A new 7-Eleven store is set to move into a Havre de Grace property that some may consider a surprising choice: The Legion Square building at the corner of North Union Avenue and Warren Street, that formerly was home to Richard Tome's florist shop.

The City Council approved a sign for the 7-Eleven, at 500 North Union Avenue, Monday night.

The convenience store is proposing a 2,700-square-foot addition to the existing building, which was also a service station in one of its former lives.

Mayor Wayne Dougherty said he was "shocked" when he first heard about the 7-Eleven proposal.

"My concern, of course, was the historic area and the entry into our downtown," he said regarding the store's prominent location on the square that most visitors drive through when they first enter downtown Havre de Grace.

"I anticipated it out on Route 40," Dougherty said. "When they hit me with that location, I was kind of shellshocked."

He said, however, 7-Eleven has followed all zoning regulations and its representatives came in "as a courtesy" to discuss the plan with city officials.

"They basically changed a lot of their plans," Dougherty said, explaining he totally objected to the original sign, which would have been much larger.

"They have done everything they could, as far as trying to make it as historic as possible," he said about the sign. "I have seen it work up north in historic districts, in the south in historic districts. I personally feel, not that I'm a big fan of it, but it's certainly better than what is there now."

The mayor said rumors have been swirling regarding parking, and clarified there are no city restrictions on parking at the site.

"Anybody can park there any time," he said.

Dougherty also recalled other businesses that were deemed controversial, such as a pawn shop and tattoo parlor.

"They became very viable businesses," he said. "All the things people expect to happen didn't happen. I have a feeling once the 7-Eleven opens, it will be like many things; it will become a fixture."