On a gloomy, rainy afternoon, I happened to drive by the site of the soon-to-be open Costco at the corner of Kingston Pike and Lovell Road. There, I saw that site preparations for the new mega-store have begun.
I saw a muddy mess.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m as excited as anyone that the big box discount store is going to be located less than a 10 minute drive away from my home. I’m also sure that it’ll also cause our family to decide whether or not to keep the Sam’s Club membership we’ve had for a while. Or maybe we’ll do both?
I’m all for progress. Progress is a good thing. A new store means additional jobs in the community. It means more purchases and, therefore, more tax dollars generated. That’s all good.
I really regret, though, that there wasn’t some serious attempt to fill some of the large empty buildings we have around town.
The list is growing long.
Food City left. That space is still open. Same is true for the old Goody’s space.
We got new Ingles and Kroger supermarkets; the old ones are left behind. Empty. One by one, all of these spaces have been vacated; nothing has moved in.
I’m not sure whose job it is to market those spaces as viable locations for future development. Perhaps it comes down to the various landlords who own the space or leasing companies who lease them.
And maybe none of them would have been suitable for Costco. But surely they would be suitable for something.
It just doesn’t look good to have one muddy mess at the entrance of the Town and lots of empty spaces up and down the Pike as you drive through it.
JG
(Source: farragutpress.com)
Originally posted 2/15/2012
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