Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Could a Recent Fire be the "Cure" for Stalled Walgreens?

Pharmacy planned for prime Brookhaven property.

Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreens is once again close to getting its planned Brookhaven location approved.  The pharmacy chain is proposing a two story pharmacy at the corner of Colonial Drive and Peachtree Roads, adjacent to Cherokee Plaza.  The second story of the pharmacy is reportedly to include professional office space.

The two story structure that currently sits on the parcel in question most recently housed Keller Williams Peachtree Road offices.  Keller Willams relocated its Peachtree Road office to TOWN Brookhaven in 2011.

Multiple yellow zoning signs can be seen on both the Peachtree Road and Colonial Drive sides of the property. While the deal is not done and is still pending approval, a local source tells me the deal is far closer to happening now than ever before.

Interestingly, the catalyst for this sudden move towards approval may have come from an unlikely source. Last Tuesday, a fire occurred on the property (reportedly the result of a homeless person's careless disposal of a cigarette) damaging a significant portion of the structure.  Now, the building is in disrepair and literally falling apart.  It would seem as though the neighborhood has finally come to its senses in realizing a Walgreens might in fact be a significant improvement over what could become an even more troubled corner.

It's not as if CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens don't each already have plenty of metro Atlanta locations, but the Brookhaven corridor from Cherokee Plaza up through Peachtree towards Oglethorpe is without a true pharmacy.

Chase Bank and Chick-fil-A were both interested in opening locations on the former Hastings property across the street from the Keller Willams site but that project is reportedly indefinitely on hold.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That building has internal structural problems far worse than the small burned area. The zoning issues started with DeKalb County before Brookhaven incorporated. The issues are lot size and curb cuts. Starbucks and Cherokee Plaza patrons already clog that area. People are willing to tolerate traffic jambs while they wait for latte, but not for prescriptions.

Anonymous said...

I live in this neighborhood, and while there are still one or two big concerns with the current plan, it is a vast improvement over what is there now. The BPCA and some folks in the neighborhood have completely unrealistic expectations as far as development. The overlay district is already forcing developers to build to the street, hide parking, and add a second story. These are all things that kill a retail development. If we're not careful, Brookhaven will end up with as many vacant buildings as Chamblee for the same exact reasons.

Anonymous said...

There is a Rite Aid across the street.

Anonymous said...

The Rite-Aide across the street is a joke and should not even be mentioned. My understanding was that Walgreens didn't want to comply with the zoning overlay to make the building 2 story and the number of curb cuts. I would assume that once they are in compliance, work can begin.

Atlanta should strive for quality, controlled, and smart growth. When we allow the developers and corporations to build whatever they want the community will always lose.

Anonymous said...

Well this is a little surreal. I used to work in that building, it is a weird inside.

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