ALDI Grocery Store Coming to 'Shire at Mulberry Creek'

Years after the property was first cleared in preparation for an upscale retail development known as The Shire at Mulberry Creek, Gwinnett County has issued a development permit (CDP2013-00006) for discount grocer ALDI. The store will be located in the 3600 block of Braselton Highway in the Hamilton Mill area of Dacula.

Do you think ALDI is a good fit for the area? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.

The store, according to company spokesperson Stacy Wiley, is expected to open in October of 2013 and will employee 10-12 people.

"We pride ourselves on quality food at a lower price." Wiley said.

ALDI currently operates nearby stores in Lawrenceville and Winder. Nationwide, the discount grocery chain has more than 1,200 locations in 32 states.

"We have great prices," Wiley said. "That's the big thing. The products are comparable to brand names, but we have much lower prices."

The 16,399-square-foot store will be located on a 1.75-acre tract in The Shire development. The plan calls for 80 new parking spaces.

Last year, the developers of "The Shire at Mulberry Creek" campaigned to get the zoning conditions for the 33-acre development changed (CIC2012-00008) to remove prohibitions against 24-hour sales, automotive parts stores, group and congregate personal care homes, full and self-service automotive car washes, drive-in and drive-through restaurants and emission inspection stations.

In making his case in support of the changes, attorney Lee Tucker said the applicant was requesting relief from a site plan that “is not feasible in today’s market.”

“We’re dealing with finishing a development that started in better times,” Tucker said.

During the September 2012 planning commission hearing, Hamilton Mill resident Stephen Day voiced his concern the change was not in line with the upscale development originally proposed for the property.

“I stand in opposition,” Day said. “I just want to reiterate the new owner’s proposal is way out of line with the original proposal which basically set a very upscale type of standard for the area and was not a continuation of fast food restaurants and sort of your typical Highway 78, Highway 29, Buford Highway stuff.”

On Oct. 23, 2012, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, on the motion of former District 3 commissioner Mike Beaudreau, voted 5-0 to amend the zoning to allow drive-through restaurants under certain conditions and limit the hours of operation for retail businesses from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m., but kept the prohibitions against automotive parts stores, full and self-service automotive car washes, and emission inspection stations (see the attached pdf to read the full resolution).

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