News

CITY OKs PUBLIX ON GREENVILLE HIGHWAY

By Bill Moss, Published: January 8, 2016

The Hendersonville City Council on Thursday authorized a developer to build a new Publix store on Greenville Highway at White Street, the first Henderson County store for the Lakeland, Fla.-based grocer that has thrived for decades on a reputation for customer service and an up-to-date shopping experience.

The project would take up a 6.8-acre piece of land currently occupied by Atha Plaza, the old Tractor Shed building, the Pro-Source contractor supply company and El Paso restaurant.

Tom Vincent, president of Halvorsen Development, described his company as “one of the oldest developers of Publix-anchored shopping centers in the entire Southeast.” The Hendersonville market, he added, is an attractive area for the Florida chain.
“Once Publix started looking as a market Hendersonville was one of the towns they were excited about being able to bring a store to,” he said. “This is definitely an exciting opportunity for us.”
The council approved variances to allow a retaining wall and driveway to encroach on the Mud Creek stream buffer at the rear of the property and to relocate required landscaping from the back property line to the southwest corner, and the council approved a special-use permit and rezoning to Planned Commercial Development that will allow the project to go forward.
The council heard concerns about flooding and traffic but found none of them severe enough to derail the project.

Jim Barnett, who owns property across Greenville Highway from the site, for the fifth or sixth time in recent public hearings on southside development made the case for acting now to solve persistent flooding problems in the area. This time, he seemed to get some traction.

Barnett said he supports the project. “However I feel obligated to point out to you that it’s going to create some flooding problems,” he said. The Publix project, combined with a new Ingles market the council has already approved, could cause flooding of adjoining properties, he said.

“You have the opportunity if you have the desire and will to solve this problem. I suggest you make a retention pond out of that 12 acres that would help solve the flooding problem down there tremendously.”
“Now is the time to do this because you have access to it,” he added. “Once they begin the project you won’t have access to it. … That would be a blessing to the south side of Hendersonville. And this is your opportunity. You’ll never have it again because you’ll never have access to the property again.”
The developer will need to elevate the entire site, which is in the Mud Creek floodplain, by 5 feet. But while doing that, the applicant said, it will make stormwater treatment and drainage improvements that ensure flooding and water quality are no worse than it is now. In fact, engineers said, runoff will be cleaner. The development will bring “two stormwater best management practices on site that will both treat the stormwater … and also provide retention,” which will lessen the severity of flooding, said Eric Hampton, an engineer with Kimley Horn.
Under questioning by the council, Hampton acknowledged Barnett’s proposal would alleviate flooding.

“The idea is excellent and it was actually something we considered previously,” Hampton said. “From our site specifically, the challenge is that we’re downstream. From our project specifically, unfortunately we’re not in the right spot.”

Council members Steve Caraker and Jeff Miller said they saw merit in Barnett’s proposal.
“We’ve got an opportunity here to do something good,” Caraker said.
The council directed city staff to work with Halvorsen on stormwater improvements, including potentially an easement that would allow the city to run a pipe from the Publix site to the 12-acre city-owned parcel behind the store. It's possible the city could pitch in to the flooding prevention project by making a retention pond on the city land, as Barnett proposed.
Council members and adjoining property owners also expressed concerns about two traffic issues: the narrowness of White Street and the fact that the developer does not plan a stoplight at the southern entrance of the parking lot — across from Copper Penny Drive. DOT district engineer Steve Cannon said the projected trips per day are not so high that they triggered a requirement for a stoplight.
White Street improvements have been moved up on the DOT’s funding schedule. “We’re looking at about six years out,” Cannon said of the completion date for White Street widening.