More stores could soon be coming to north Macon -- not to the Shoppes at River Crossing, but a new development on Bass Road. It was tentatively approved by Planning and Zoning Monday.
Since 2006, Jim Welch's been selling steaks, jerky, and other meat at his store on Bass Road.
“I was the first one in this building,then came the Pig in a Pit, then a couple of the others came in,” Welch said.
Since then, the area has flourished around him, with the addition of Bass Pro, the Academy for Classical Education, and others.
“It’s a congested mess,” Welch said.
That’s because they've never widened Bass Road around there to keep up with new demands. Now, Macon-Bibb Planning and Zoning tentatively approved the addition of a new shopping center on Starcadia Circle off Bass Road.
The proposed layout includes about a dozen new retail spaces in the new complex.
Welch thinks they forgot to consider the flow problems currently in that area.
“Get the traffic moving,” Welch said. “Somebody’s got to think about that before they think about doing more building.”
Since it has been tentatively given the green light, some like Shayla Williams already have an idea of what stores they’d like to see.
“Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, definitely that would be added into my weekly stops,” Williams said. “Whole Foods is one of my absolute favorite grocery stores ever.”
While no retailers have been named just yet, Welch is still looking forward to the potential for new customers that will flock to now-vacant field.
“I would like to see it come in,” Welch said. “We've been waiting for years for something to develop in there. The more people you bring to the area, the busier we get.”
Developers hope to have the shopping center open by September of 2019.