JC — Corner of West Market/State of Franklin To Be Developed? (Johnson City: apartments, condos)

[jabogitlu]

JohnsonCityPress.com - Local News - Johnson City, TN

A seven-year itch is about to be scratched on Kingsport developer Stewart Taylor’s property at West Market Street and State of Franklin Road, as a Walgreen’s Pharmacy should rise on the high-traffic corner by the end of this year.

Heavy equipment should be active and building a public access road through the property by next week, and work on other roads and infrastructure inside the 8.6-acre property should follow suit by mid-month. The infrastructure could be complete before September, and the 14,700-square-foot Walgreen’s — slated for the corner closest to the main intersection — could be under construction in July and be ready to open around the first of 2011.

Walgreens? Really? This is quite possibly the most important piece of large property in Johnson City. This is ridiculous.

[SarahSal]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

JohnsonCityPress.com - Local News - Johnson City, TN


Walgreens? Really? This is quite possibly the most important piece of large property in Johnson City. This is ridiculous.

Yes, a major four corner entryway into JC.. But not ridiculous when one considers what's on the other three corners. Just more of the same (as we discussed in another thread).
I still miss those beautiful old beech trees that were cut down in the wee hours of the morning - as I recall.. That was a travesty which never should have occured.

[And can someone PLEASE tell me how you can rep people more than a few times?? We all tend to post on several CD forums and 'talk' with the same group of people, whom we may want to rep more than once or twice!]

[jabogitlu]

True. Sadly, Walgreens may end up as the best corner. Sarah, you just have to rep other people. It won't let you rep the same person in a row more than a few times. Gotta 'spread it around' lol.

[rccrain]

Whatcha gonna do?

[anidez28]

Walgreens ? why not build a super walmart instead on the most imporant and largest intersection of the town. Another joke by city.

[Beretta]

Gonna be a gold mine for Walgreen's with all of the MD offices and hospitals around.

Come on people, did you really expect JC to put something of importance there; or anywhere for that matter? There is just no cohesive planning going on.

Market Street is so ugly; even in front of Jane's Lunch Box! That could be so pretty with nice sidewalks, period lamp posts, metal flower pots, trees in planter boxes, benches, etc.

[rccrain]

The city doesn't own this property. Who are they to say what they owner builds there within reason? If you want it to be "special", buy it and make it "special"?

[SarahSal]

Originally Posted by rccrain

The city doesn't own this property. Who are they to say what they owner builds there within reason? If you want it to be "special", buy it and make it "special"?

Yes, that's a parcel the city or med center or ETSU should have been prescient enough to purchase! And it already was special with its century old Beech trees, which the developer ORIGINALLY said he would save (except for one).. The city actually did try to push the developer in a more positive direction - remember all the zoning issues? Yeah, too bad there won't be something with more character at that corner. But what can you expect when the corporate money (and new tax revenue) calls..

[jchometeam]

Not arguing everyone's point, I tend to agree. If Walgreen's needed another store, the new development across from the post office would have made more sense to me. But what would everyone have suggested?

And though I hate the idea of Walgreen's, it is better than the earlier proposed condos.

[jabogitlu]

Originally Posted by rccrain

The city doesn't own this property. Who are they to say what they owner builds there within reason? If you want it to be "special", buy it and make it "special"?

Perhaps that's the problem. Our developers here don't really have a clue. The article mentioned the other projects this guy has developed, including the Zaxby's-Dollar Tree dev across from Target. Well, congratulations to him, because that's one ****ed up parking lot. I can't figure out how to get out, how to get in, and I almost kill myself hurtling either across North Roan's six lanes or across Mountcastle at the mall's busy entrance.

I know that in this area, mixed-use sounds like a liberal commie swear word, but really, couldn't we have approached this with at least a *little* new urbanism? You know, some apartments, some retail, some dining. Streetlights, sidewalks. Something that would've given Market Street an impetus for a face lift. Right now, the entire area is something I drive THROUGH, not to. When's the last time any of us stopped anywhere on Market Street, save for maybe the Shell station to refuel? Yeah, it's a wasteland.

What's a real shame is that this parcel is big enough to develop something that could give back to the city for a long time. Instead, it sounds like it's going to be taken up by access roads, stormwater ponds, and parking lots. Hell to the yes.