St. Elmo residents inquire about Publix layout
St. Elmo area residents on Monday raised questions about a proposed Publix supermarket nearby, with some people wanting the store to hug South Broad Street rather than sit at the rear of the site.
“Quality of life is built one block at a time,” said Lindsey Willke at a neighborhood meeting that drew an overflow crowd of about 70 people to St. Elmo Fire Hall.
But Mike Price of MAP Engineers, representing the developer, cited the Publix store in North Chattanooga and how it has been well received and aided that neighborhood.
“It has been … an asset,” he said. “We’ve seen what it can do. It’s not bad. They know how to make it work.”
The supermarket is proposed for a 4-acre site that for many decades held the Mount Vernon Restaurant bounded by South Broad, St. Elmo Avenue and West 35th Street.
The developer has the 32,000-square-foot store at the rear of the lot near West 35th Street with parking in front.
Price said plans are to seek a rezoning of the tract from Urban General Commercial zone to C-2 commercial with some conditions, which would permit the developer to place a larger building on the property.
Bert Kuyrkendall, who lives in St. Elmo, said opposition isn’t against the proposed store, but where it’s located on the lot.
“Our opposition isn’t to Publix in general, just that they want to build a suburban style box in a parking lot, instead of according to the current mixed-use walkable corridor zoning,” he said.
Kuyrkendall said an online petition has garnered about 230 signatures expressing concerns about the developer’s plan.
“South Broad is a very important corridor,” he said. “The placement of the building is the key.”
He argued that the UGC zoning has flexibility to address other options for the how the store addresses the street.
Price said if he could avoid seeking to rezone the property that he would do so. But the UGC zone doesn’t offer enough room for the store and its 162 parking spaces, he said.
Price added that the developer isn’t asking for “a blanket C-2” zone, noting there will be limits on what can go on the property.
He added that extensive landscaping will be done around the site, even on the rear where a church is adjacent.
Tim Baker, who owns land on South Broad, said the store would benefit the area.
“Just build it,” he said. Laura Durel, who lives on Lookout Mountain, said she was impressed by the feedback the people at the meeting were giving the developer.
“I’m impressed with the community turnout,” she said.
Publix operates five other units in metro Chattanooga, including a new 45,000-square-foot store that opened in March at the Waterside development north of Hamilton Place mall.
The Mount Vernon had operated at the foot of Lookout Mountain for 63 years before it closed its doors around Christmas of last year.
A new blueprint on the growth of the South Broad Street area was recently completed by planners after meetings with landowners, city officials, residents and others.
The Chattanooga Design Studio report calls for an array of new housing along with commercial and retail space, upgraded parks, streets, sidewalks and other infrastructure, including a new minor league ballpark and entertainment facility for the Chattanooga Lookouts to serve as a catalyst for development.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress. com or 423-757-6318. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.