A developer plans to turn the shuttered Montgomery, Ala., club property into a 40,000-sq. ft. grocery store, a plan that some neighborhood and business groups oppose.
A developer is planning a $10 million project to turn part of the closed Bonnie Crest Country Club into a Walmart grocery store, the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser reported.
The store would be built at the former home of Montgomery, Ala., club, and the Montgomery City Council plans a public hearing about the proposal on December 2 at its 5 p.m. meeting. Mayor Todd Strange said the city has scheduled a separate meeting with developers to learn more, the Advertiser reported.
“We want to sit down with Walmart and have a better picture of what this means for Montgomery, Alabama,” Strange said. “We don’t want to take action until we have that opportunity.”
Residents can weigh in on the plan at a 6 p.m. public meeting December 9, and the council will vote December 16 on whether to approve the proposal. Representatives from neighborhood and business groups said they plan to oppose the project, the Advertiser reported.
“It would put that thing right in my front yard,” resident Patty Nelson said. “I’m 60, and I just bought this house in August. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen.”
Some residents suggested a nearby shopping center on Coliseum Boulevard as a better location. Still, city leaders said something has to be done with the 130-acre former golf course. This proposal by Atlanta-based Cypress Development would take part of that space, the Advertiser reported.
Nelson said none of the former golf course should be used for retail. “I don’t want to see anything there except a park,” she said. “Do something positive for the city of Montgomery.”
District 2 Councilman Charles Smith said the new Walmart wouldn’t be a superstore, just a 40,000-sq. ft. grocery store. He said it could inspire more nearby businesses to upgrade as well as other retail and residential growth in an area that doesn’t have a lot of open tracts of land available, the Advertiser reported.
“I was hoping it was going to be a good thing,” Smith said. “If I get the gist that my district as a whole opposes it, that’s how I’ll vote.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.