A North Shore resident addresses the planning commission on a proposed Publix grocery store in his neighborhood.
Proposed Publix grocery store in ChattanoogaDevelopers on Wednesday received approval for their entire 46,000-square-foot North Shore Publix plan, adding additional retail space and rotating the building after they earlier had claimed such moves were not feasible.
During more than an hour of discussion, 15 neighbors shared stories of long drives to faraway grocery stores from Chattanooga’s so-called “food desert,” with most begging for quick approval to the Publix plan.
“It’s like getting married,” said resident John Wise, who also is a developer. “We’ve dated this Publix now for months. Pass it tonight.”
Both Sallie Robinson and Deborah Scott, who represent nearby districts on the Chattanooga City Council, asked that the board make peace with the design compromises and pass the plan for the good of residents’ pantries.
“We have people living in my district in Hill City that rent taxis in order to be able to get to the grocery store,” said Deborah Scott, city councilwoman for district 1.