Walgreens planning a second location

Published 3:18 am Tuesday, December 6, 2005

VALDOSTA — Walgreen’s Drug Store is planning a second location in Valdosta.

Local real estate brokers Tom Call and Gary Cannon of Coldwell Banker Premier Real Estate purchased and are developing the corner of Gornto and Baytree Roads where a gas station and convenience store once stood to build a Walgreens, which will be leased to the drug store company.

The development represents a $4 million investment in land, construction and related costs.

“This is an ideal location. There are so many roof tops close by and it’s in the middle of a commercial area. Being on the corner of a main intersection is valuable exposure. This is a home run for Walgreens,” said Call.

The new store will be larger than the current one on Ashley Street, which opened nearly two years ago. According to Call, “The new one will be about 14,800 square feet, which is 1,000 square feet bigger than the other one. The store will have all the same services, including a drive through pharmacy.”

The gas station parcel is less than an acre and Call said an additional nearly two acres was purchased from the Georgia Theatre Company. The Walgreens will take 1.7 acres of the land, leaving an additional 1.1 acre site that Call said may be utilized by a local business looking to expand. He is also attending the International Convention of Shopping Centers annual show in Las Vegas, Nev. to market sites to national companies.

Construction on the project will not begin until legal issues concerning the outparcel property can be resolved. Depending on the outcome, the new Walgreens could be open this fall or in the fall of 2006.



To contact Business Editor Kay Harris, please call 244-3400, ext. 280.