A $300,000 state grant awarded by Gov. Kay Ivey will help fund road and drainage improvements tied to a major retail development in Athens that officials say is expected to bring approximately 100 new jobs to the area.
The Community Development Block Grant will support improvements at the intersection of West Elm Street and Lucas Ferry Road to accommodate construction of a new 57,000-square-foot Food City grocery store and additional retail development planned nearby.
According to the governor’s office, the project is expected to serve as a catalyst for further commercial growth in northwest Athens.
“North Alabama, particularly the Athens area, is experiencing astonishing growth boosted in part by the huge development in Huntsville, but also because Limestone County, plain and simple, is a good place to live and work,” Ivey said in a statement. “I commend local leaders for embracing this growth and making the needed improvements to continue to make it a good place to live.”
The city plans to use grant funding to widen portions of West Elm Street and Lucas Ferry Road and add deceleration and turning lanes near the development site. Drainage improvements are also included as part of the infrastructure project.
The new Food City development represents a $19.5 million private investment and will include an in-store bakery and deli, full-service meat and seafood department, pharmacy, floral boutique, Starbucks café and adjacent fueling station.
State officials said the project continues a broader trend of rapid commercial and residential growth across Limestone County and North Alabama.
Earlier this year, Ivey also announced two grants totaling $800,000 for another development project on Athens’ east side.
Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs Director Kenneth Boswell said the latest project is expected to spur additional investment in the surrounding area.
“This project is expected to be the catalyst for future growth and jobs in that area of Athens,” Boswell said. “ADECA joins Gov. Ivey in supporting this project.”
The grant was awarded through the federal Community Development Block Grant program, which is administered in Alabama by ADECA.
Athens officials have committed an additional $322,207 in local funding toward the project.
Gov. Ivey notified Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks that the grant had been approved.
