Athens breaking ground on west side for Food City

ATHENS — “If you build it, they will come.”

Those iconic words from the movie “Field of Dreams” more than 35 years ago are just as meaningful today for a major retail development in western Athens.

The Athens-Limestone Chamber of Commerce is hosting a groundbreaking at 10 a.m. Friday for a Food City store at Elm Street and Lucas Ferry Road.

Food City said the project will create approximately 200 jobs and include an investment of more than $19 million. The project, which will include street improvements in the area, is anticipated to generate $23 million in annual taxable sales.

An Athens City Council-approved incentive plan last November said the city will collect annual sales tax generated by the store and reimburse it annually for 10 years or until $2.4 million is paid.

Mayor Ronnie Marks said residents in western Athens, after seeing retail growth on the eastern side of town, have asked about retail opportunities in their part of the city.

“This project presented us with the opportunity to address a need in that part of our city and grow our sales tax base,” he said. “More than 40 percent of our city budget is from sales tax so growing our sales tax base is a priority. We have to grow it in order to hire more responders, buy more garbage trucks, do paving projects, improve outdoor recreation and other services.”