A development company pitched a Walgreens drugstore for a new shopping center on Ga. Highway 74 South Monday night.

Although it was generally well received by the city’s Planning Commission, the developer told The Citizen after the meeting that Walgreens has not yet made a final decision to locate at the shopping center, which is located across the highway from the Wilshire Pavilion shopping center.

The proposed 14,550-square-foot Walgreens would be located along the newly-aligned Rockaway Road, with the parcel extending to Hwy. 74. But since the new road is not yet built, the company is requesting a temporary entrance off Hwy. 74 just north of the Holly Grove Road intersection.

Attorney Rick Lindsey, representing developer Merganser Enterprises, said his client would post a bond to insure that the temporary road is removed and re-landscaped after the Rockaway Road project is completed.

Planning Commissioner Marty Mullin said he’d like to keep the clearing for that road as narrow as possible to avoid removing too many trees in the greenbelt. Lindsey said the removed trees could easily be replaced after the temporary road is removed.

It was also noted that the corner of the property facing the intersection of Holly Grove Road and Hwy. 74 is basically devoid of vegetation, and so Merganser is proposing a cluster of plants facing the corner to address that issue.

“The landscaping there will have to be very choice,” Mullin said.

Also, to screen the rear of the store which will face a residential parcel, a dense wall of trees is proposed, Lindsey said. The trees will abut an access drive that will continue northward to serve the remainder of the development.

City Planner David Rast noted that Merganser already has reduced the number of parking spaces from its original request. The company has also reduced the size of the drive-through lane and added more landscaping to the proposal, he added.

Merganser wants the city to consider shrinking the sidewalk landscaping islands by two feet so it can expand the size of the sidewalk to accommodate people who use walkers, wheelchairs or mobility scooters.

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