Wednesday, May 26, 2010
News Wal-Mart in City Hall East? It could happen
Posted by Scott Henry @ScottTheHenry on Wed, May 26, 2010 at 7:11 PM
Although passed last night by the Zoning Review Board, the rezoning of City Hall East has caused at least a flicker of concern among residents who wonder if it could result in a Wal-Mart store smack dab in the middle of Ponce de Leon Avenue.
The short answer is, yes, it could.
A slightly longer answer, according to city officials, is … but that's not likely to happen.
If that seems faint reassurance, here's the background. You may have heard that the city is trying to sell the former Sears distribution center to Cobb County-based Jamestown Properties. However, Jamestown principals told the city that the company wouldn't be able to lease the 2 million-square-foot building for retail use unless it could bring in a major anchor tenant — which would mean lifting the existing zoning that capped store sizes at 50,000-square-feet.
The rezoning approved last night would allow a 150,000-square-foot store and/or a configuration of smaller stores, for a total retail space of 390,000 square feet. Technically speaking, that's enough room for a Wal-Mart or a Costco, although Jamestown officials have repeatedly said that's not the type of business they have in mind.
So, why should residents believe them? Well, I, for one, am willing to give them the benefit of a doubt based on their track record. The company also developed the White Provision building on Howell Mill Road, turning an old cold-storage warehouse into a retail and dining destination with galleries, Abattoir restaurant and the Room & Board furniture store.
In Manhattan, Jamestown has been even more successful with Chelsea Market, a 1 million-square-foot former Nabisco factory. There, it leased space to Google for a digital switching station, a TV studio operated by the Food Network and a collection of local restaurants, gourmet food shops and clothing boutiques.
Now, I realize Poncey Highlands ain't the Meatpacking District. If Costco is the best offer on the table, I'm sure Jamestown would go with it. But at least the company has a reputation for using imagination and quality control when searching for tenants. That's what makes me hopeful about the future of City Hall East.
Comments (8)
Showing 1-8 of 8
When is CL going to do some real reporting and report on the city's budget debacle? Enough of these puff stories about fantasy developments and parking brouhahas.
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A Wal-Mart would be better than the big pile of nothing that currently occupies city hall east.
Big-box retail. Great! And maybe the city can pitch in funds for light rail to connect the parking lot to the McDonalds up the street.
I for one, like speculative real estate fiction. Its my favorite journalistic genre. Also, I need a walmart closer than those that currently exist.
Nads, "Sources" tell me there's a strong effort to operate sky buckets between CHE and the nearby Zesto. $$$
This reminds me of an AWESOME april fools prank a friend of mine pulled: http://hamptonroads.com/2009/04/walmart-granby-tower-site-or-april-fools-joke
I don't really get the skepticism. While it would take a lot of work to redevelop CHE, there's obviously demand for big-box retail there, since there's a parking lot full of it across the street. Putting it in City Hall East would be far better than bulldozing and building parking lots. And, really, who cares if it's a Wal-Mart? As long as it's in CHE and not a parking lot, who cares? Also, light rail down Ponce is a great idea and could really spur redevelopment of the previously mentioned McDonald's.
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