Business

City Council OKs road closing for new Ingles

By David Suffia, Published: May 3, 2013

The Hendersonville City Council voted Thursday night to close unused right-of-way to make way for a new super Ingles on Spartanburg Highway — over the objections of property owners who said the road closings and development would limit access to their property.

After a public hearing and a closed session, the council voted to close the unopened streets and an alley surrounding the Ingles supermarket at 625 Spartanburg Highway.
Ingles plans to replace the old store with a new one that will be 77,000 square feet and include a pharmacy. Two platted  segments of Joel Wright Drive and Copper Penny Street run through the property. They are city roads but are not marked or maintained as travel roadways.

Mike Egan, an attorney representing Ingles, said the right-of-way closures were a "critical preliminary step to redeveloping the Ingles store and an important part of revitalizing the area around the store."
Several nearby land owners objected to the closure, saying it could inhibit their ability to access their land.
Egan said no one's access to their property would be hindered, and the council agreed.

Ingles filed a site plan more than a year ago for the store, which will include a drive-through pharmacy and a Gas Express.
The CVS store next to Ingles plans to move to a new 12,000-square-foot store on South Main Street at the old Mr. Gatti's property, where four buildings will be bulldozed. The supermarket chain is expected to seek city council approval soon for the new store.