A new grocery store could be occupying a busy city intersection next year.
Fresh Co., a division of Sobey’s is expected to find itself operating at the corner of Ninth Street and McConnell Avenue.
Ken Bedford, a planning supervisor with the city, said in an interview Thursday the grocery store giant has met with most of the initial approvals for construction.
“They still have to deal with the site plan approvals,” said Bedford, but he added the project appears to be moving in the right direction. “There’s lots of traffic in that area. And that will continue to grow as the (industrial) park grows.”
The city’s planning advisory committee approved a $679,000 rehabilitation grant recently, as well as cash for an environmental assessment and project feasibility study.
A former industrial site bordered by McConnell and Marlborough Avenues, the property needs some cleaning up before being used for anything else.
The property was purchased earlier this year by Goldmanco, a property development firm. Goldmanco is likely to make a formal site plan application to the city in the coming weeks, and start construction either this fall or next spring.
While Bedford confirmed Fresh Co. will be the anchor for the property, it’s also expected a dollar store could also be a part of the development, with space for at least one more tenant.
“There is some flexible zoning on that property,” said Bedford.
The area in question has seen controversy in the past as an appeal on the site’s rezoning in the past led to a five-year moratorium on development.
The restriction has since lifted, and Bedford has indicated no more appeals are coming.
A draft site plan for the area calls for a widening of Ninth and McConnell to accommodate the traffic, along with dozens of parking spots between the store buildings.
