THE HERALD BULLETIN
BY KEN DE LA BASTIDE
ANDERSON – Within the next few months the Marsh store on Nichol Avenue will be owned by the Anderson Redevelopment Commission.
Following a public hearing Tuesday, where there were no public comments, the Anderson Redevelopment Commission adopted two resolutions including the property in the development plan and exercised the option to purchase the building.
The commission is purchasing the building for $230,000 with hope of leasing it for a new grocery store in an area considered a food desert and include a pharmacy and a possible hardware store.
Funding is in place for the purchase and renovation of the 40,000-square-foot building. Greg Winkler, executive director of the Anderson Economic Development Department, previously said the Redevelopment Commission could advertise for requests for proposals for a developer to renovate the building for a new grocery store as a tenant.
He said the city is looking at a lease/purchase agreement with a grocery store chain. “There have been discussions with several different grocery store chains,” Winkler said. “They are looking at all the data the city has gathered from the area.”
The commission is considering leasing the space for $2 per square foot for five years as an incentive. The commission has also received appraisals on several properties in the former Edgewood Plaza on the south side of Nichol Avenue for future development. Winkler has indicated there are several local businesses and national retail chains interested in the Edgewood Plaza area as the development plans move forward. He previously said infrastructure improvements to the Edgewood Plaza to include utilities, drainage and streets could cost up to $4.1 million.
In addition, Winkler said, two existing businesses are looking at expansion near the Flagship Enterprise Center off Interstate 69 Exit 222 and another is considering expansion along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.