Fischer Crossing developer Scott Seymour has maintained all along that 800,000 square feet of commercial space was destined for the intersection of Fischer Road and Ga. Highway 34 in east Coweta. A national recession and a Chapter 11 reorganization for the developer notwithstanding, it seems Seymour was right. The deal on the development’s first anchor store, a 136,000 square-foot Sam’s Club, closed Tuesday and construction work is expected to begin in mid-August.

Commenting on the project, Seymour said Wednesday that the July 21 closing on the property should lead to the start of construction sometime in mid-August and an opening date approximately a year later.

Sam’s Club has 11 locations in metro Atlanta. The Coweta location will be the third Sam's Club on the south side of Atlanta, the others being near Southlake Mall in Clayton County and near McDonough in Henry County. Neither of those are located in southwest metro, a fact that Seymour said should be beneficial for Coweta since residents from a large geographic area will likely shop at the new store.

“The opening of the Sam’s Club will mean significant tax revenue for Coweta County,” Seymour said Wednesday, adding that he expects the arrival of Sam’s Club to attract other commercial interests to the Fischer Crossing development. “We anticipate resurrecting some of the past tenants we had.”

As the crow flies, Fischer Crossing is eight-tenths of a mile west of the Ga. Highway 54 bridge over Line Creek. The Sam's Club will be within two miles of its corporate sibling, a 24-hour Super Walmart in Wilksmoor Village.

As conceived, the entire 800,000 square-foot Fischer Crossing development would span the northeast, northwest and southwest corners of the Hwy. 34/Fischer Road intersection. Then as now, Sam’s Club will anchor the northwest side of Fischer Road and Hwy. 34. A multi-screen theater, something Seymour said he still expects to happen, was planned to anchor the northeast corner of the development.

Sam's Club is a chain of more than 700 membership-only retail warehouse clubs in every state but Oregon and Vermont, according to Wikipedia. Owned and operated by Walmart Stores, Inc., the chain serves more than 47 million U.S. members, many of whom pay $25 a year for the membership card.

Most merchandise is sold in bulk and directly off pallets. Clubs are arranged much like a warehouse, with merchandise stocked in warehouse-style steel bins. Most locations also have have pharmacy, tire and battery, photo, bakery, optical, café and floral departments. Small businesses can buy at wholesale prices, minus sales taxes, on items they later re-sell.