New Grocery Wants Land Near City Hall

When Woodlands residents sit down with Mayor Michael Heitzler for their regular "town meeting" on Thursday, they'll have something new to talk about — a planned grocery store on the wooded lot that has long sat undeveloped at the front of the neighborhood.

IGA is hoping to build one of it's KJ's Market stores on the site. According to initial plans (included in a PDF underneath the photos at right), it'll be a 34,000 sq. ft. grocery store fronting North Goose Creek Boulevard (U.S. 52) near Woodlands, but mostly separated from the neighborhood by existing wetlands and a proposed retention pond.

The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall and is also open to Braemore residents who could be impacted by the new store, as well. Developers have proposed an entrance on 52, as well as entrances at either end of the lot, on Woodland Lakes Road and Windsor Mill Road.

City staff stressed during a brief presentation to City Council on Tuesday that the project is in the very early stages.

The property is zoned for commercial use, but any development will have to go through the city's Architectural Review Board and will receive a public hearing.

City Administrator Dennis Harmon noted Tuesday that the city has been able to find concessions with developers through that process to address citizen concerns.