The interior of Wal-Mart's Neighborhood Markets.Another possible Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market store is in the works for Chattanooga, this time in north Hixson at the corner of Thrasher Pike and Middle Valley Road.
Planning commission documents show that Polestar Development LLC -- a subsidiary of The Hutton Co. and a builder of Neighborhood Markets -- has applied for rezoning at four properties at the corner of the intersection which would make the construction of a 41,117-square-foot grocery store with fuel pumps possible.
Polestar has submitted a plan to build the store on four properties, totaling 7.87 acres in the southeast quadrant of the intersection. The proposed store would have two detention ponds and 168 parking spaces.
The four properties eyed by Polestar are currently used for single-family residential purposes. According to Hamilton County tax records, the properties are valued at nearly $800,000 combined.
Polestar officials declined to comment Tuesday about the proposed grocery store, citing nondisclosure agreements with the client interested in bringing a store to Thrasher Pike and Middle Valley Road.
Wal-Mart officials did not comment on the proposed grocery store.
But Polestar was recently granted a rezoning on first reading in East Ridge, where a similar grocery store and fueling station development is proposed on Monroe Street, former site of the city's community center and pool.
East Ridge officials will vote for the second and final time Thursday on the rezoning request.
And Polestar is involved in two other Chattanooga grocery store proposals which look to also be Neighborhood Markets.
According to Wal-Mart, the average Neighborhood Market store is 38,000 square feet and employs 95 people.
Wal-Mart first introduced the smaller-footprint, grocery-only stores to the greater-Chattanooga area by announcing almost a year ago that one would premiere in Fort Oglethorpe.
That store is nearly 42,000 square feet and is located on roughly nine acres behind Chick-fil-A and McDonald's on Battlefield Parkway. The store is roughly two miles from an existing Wal-Mart Supercenter.
The Fort Oglethorpe store is set to open early this year.
Dalton is getting a Neighborhood Market at Bry-Man's Plaza, and North Chattanooga is getting a Neighborhood Market at Highland Plaza.
The Thrasher Pike and Middle Valley Road grocery store rezoning request will go before planning commissioners at 1 p.m. Monday, on the fourth floor of the Hamilton County Courthouse.
Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6480.