Shopping center development shot down

I’ve been talking about a possible shopping center development on Old Shelbyville Road for at least six months. For Business Pulse readers who may not have noticed the front page of Wednesday’s edition, I’m here to report the shopping center deal is dead.

Development plans called for a 100,000-square-foot shopping center that would have been anchored by a major grocery store and also included clothing and specialty stores and a restaurant.

Such a development would have been a welcome asset to this community. And I was hoping the city would zone the property commercial so the deal could go through.

But dozens and dozens of nearby residents went before McMinnville’s Regional Planning Commission and urged committee members not to change the zoning. In the end, the Planning Commission listened and voted to leave the zoning residential.

I’d like to think developers could find a different location in McMinnville to build their shopping center, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. It’s not easy to find 22 undeveloped acres in the city, and they’re probably not too happy with McMinnville right now anyway.