Location, location, location.
The Battle of Trader Joe’s is back on, with foes of the trendy grocer’s choice of Hobbs and Friendly as its home digging in for a long, mean war.
The irony of all this has been pointed out before.
Many areas in this city that would kill for a Trader Joe’s.
And not just east Greensboro. New Garden. Brassfield. Even West Wendover.
But the rich stand to get richer.
The Friendly Center area is a popular destination for local shopping that is surrounded by the types of demographics that retailers adore. It’s almost like the psychology of not wanting to be the first person at a party. Retail likes a crowded room.
With the Zoning Commission saying a strong yes (8-1) to the proposed store as well as a new drug store, the foes now say they’ll pursue the protest petition option.
People are also reading…
A protest petition gives adjoining property owners additional leverage against a proposed rezoning.
If enough signatures of the rezoning’s neighbor are gathered, a super-majority (seven of nine council members) would need to approve the rezoning. (It’s still a fair and constructive process that levels that playing field in disputes over development.)
The News & Record editorial board favored a previous attempt to place a new shopping center and a Trader Joe’s in the Hobbs-Friendly area in 2012.
But it was not an easy call.
This one isn’t, either.
