Yes, you heard me right. It will be where Dowda Equipment is now. It was approved during one of the BOC meetings on Tuesday. I just found out on Wednesday, and kept forgetting to post about it. They own the land all the way to the subdivision behind Dowda Equipment. Most likely it will be a Kroger because I have been hearing for the past year that Kroger wanted that property. This will be either the third or fourth Kroger in the county. How many of each grocery store (or drug store, for that matter) do we really need?
But here's the reasoning behind the BOC's approval of this--they think putting a large grocery store in the Bill Arp area will lessen the traffic in Douglasville. I don't think it will--in fact, I think it will make the traffic in Bill Arp worse. Traffic is already bad. Thankfully there are a lot of back roads. Dorsett Shoals and Kings Hwy will get you to Douglasville. Mason Creek is also a good shortcut. Think about using more back roads instead of Hwy 5.
Do you support a big grocery store coming into the Bill Arp community? Do you plan on shopping there once it's open? Post a comment!
At first glance most people will think that the placement of a Kroger in Bill Arp will be a good thing - they will no longer have to drive the extra few miles into the city. But at what cost? If you live in the subdivision adjacent to the property, I am sure you would not be in favor of a large shopping center (with no guarantee of staying in business - see Cub Foods/Walmart) in your backyard.
ReplyDeleteThere is already several small strip shopping centers installed along this section of Highway 5 - none have paid for road improvements like left-turn lanes - causing traffic backups. Not to mention the ball park, the Dorsett Shoals/Pool/Banks Mill @ Highway 5 intersection. It appears that the area along Highway 5 between Big A Road and Mason Creek Road is destined to become a commercial district.
Is a commercial district in this area what the people that moved to this area want? Remember even if the development does not back up to your property, you still have to live with the consequences: increased traffic, increased noise, increased crime and light pollution.
Until the State Of Georgia changes the law to allow local governments more control on how land is developed our growth-at-any-cost, developer-friendly politicians will always have the 'Georgia is a property-rights state' statement to hide behind and our controlled-growth politicians will be stymied by the law.
Remember - it may not be your property that is directly affected this time, but once commercial development gets in an area it spreads. Maybe next door to your property.
Is the savings of a few minutes in the car for a grocery shopping trip worth it?