Downtown Publix is officially a no-go… for now
July 30, 2008 at 10:35 pm by Thomas Wheatley in NewsNot necessarily breaking news, but disappointing news nonetheless for anyone like myself who wanted to see a grocery store in downtown Atlanta — a development that was announced many moons ago.
At today’s City Council finance committee meeting, Cheryl Strickland of the Atlanta Development Authority told Councilmember Kwanza Hall that the planned Publix at 24 Allen Plaza — part of the Westside TAD — is indeed on hold. Strickland says Barry Real Estate, the developer of the proposed project, has been unable to lure a large enough office occupant for the building that would also house the grocery store. It also banked on more TAD funding to be available for the development. Hall told Strickland he was disappointed but that he was going to pursue the idea.
(The Westside TAD is just one of the 27 across the state that were severely impacted by the February Georgia Supreme Court ruling that school taxes couldn’t be used for non-educational purposes.)
But that’s a shame about the Publix. A grocery store with fresh food and other assorted sundries would give residents in the booming area another reason to never start their cars.
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July 31st, 2008 at 10:27 am
That is disappointing — I looking forward to that Publix. Downtown residents need a place to buy fresh produce. Hopefully this location idea will be revisited in the future.
I wonder if there’s any chance of a grocery store of some kind going into the newly available retail space in the old Macy’s building.