Selig Enterprises Planning New Development For Armstrong and Dobbs Site in Athens, Ga.

Selig Enterprises does plan to build a mixed use development on the former site of Armstrong and Dobbs in downtown Athens. But a Walmart is not going to be one of the many retail establishments there. And neither will a grocery store.

According to a press release issued by Selig Enterprises, the company has decided to opt for an anchor tenant of 35,000 square feet--less than half the size of what they proposed in the fall of 2011 when Walmart was the likely big box retailer for the development.

"There will no longer be a Walmart," Selig Senior Vice President Jo Ann Chitty told Flagpole Magazine's Blake Aued. "...No one knows who the tenant or tenants might be for that space, but it has the potential to be something very, very special."

The development does include 250 residential units, two and three-bedrooms, some of which will face the Firefly Trail, a rails-to-trails project on the property's back side. To put residential space on the first floor instead of retail, requires a special use permit from the ACC Mayor and Commission.

Plans also show the as-yet-unbuilt-but-planned-for Hickory Street as a boulevard, cutting through the property from the multi-modal center.

“We have been working on ways to best develop this challenging but unique site for more than a year now,” said Chitty, in the press release. “This new design respects the community’s wishes and accommodates the economic needs of today’s retailers. We believe it addresses the vast majority of the concerns we heard from the public and preserves the elements that led many in the community to support the project.

“While the design has changed somewhat, our goal remains the same – to create a mixed-use project that will extend downtown Athens and provide an opportunity for residents and retailers seeking a new experience in the Classic City.”

The company is expected to file plans with the ACC Planning Department early next year.

You may also be interested in reading:

What to Make of the Proposed Wal Mart?

Rep. Heard to Wal Mart Opponents: Stop It!

Big Box Retailer Headed to Downtown Athens

After It's Gone....The Song Stays

Should Another Big Box Come to Athens?

 

 

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