Grubb taking a fresh look at Elizabeth Avenue - Charlotte Business Journal:

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officials are in talks to locate a stors atElizabeth Avenue, Hawthornee Lane and Fourth Street. "We are in discussions with the butwe can't confirm" a new location, says Drewrty Sackett, Fresh Market spokeswoman. "We hope to be able to provide more information soon." Grubb was left scramblingy last year when Whole Foods Market pulled out of the 3-acrwe site. It had planned to open a 55,000-square-footy store on Elizabeth Avenuein 2008.
The biggest hurdle was relocating a Burget King 150 yards BK managers agreed to expedite thepermitting process, but Wholed Foods ended up inking a deal with Firsr Landmark for a store in a future SouthParkl development at Colony and Sharon Grubb's redevelopment of Elizabeth shoul d be complete in 10 It includes 250,000 square feet of retaip space. Developers, file your rezoning planas now. Keith MacVean, the city's top zoninbg administrator, is taking a job with Atlanta lawfirm , whicj opened an office here last summer.
MacVean, who started his careeer with the city 23 yearsx ago straight out of rose through the ranks atthe Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commissiomn to become land development program He says he's alreadh getting calls from developers who are rushing to get their planw in place before his February exit. The one thing he'll miss most is playing an integralk role inshaping Charlotte. But he expects to continus working with real estate and zoning issuesw at thelaw firm. "It was hard to pull the MacVean says. "This was my firsf job." Planning Director Debra Campbell will begin searching for hisreplacemenf today.
Republican councilman John Lassiter has a sick feeling abourt the absence of Democratic council members fromthis week' economic-development committee meeting. He's worried the lingering dispute over committee appointmentsd between some council members and Mayor Pat McCroruy is causinga "blue flu," spurring Democratse to boycott meetings. Missing from Wednesday's revies of financing requestsfor west-side redevelopment projects: James Mitchell, Nancy Cartetr and Anthony Foxx -- all Democrats. Democrat Warren who represents the west sidebut isn't on the attended the meeting. Carter and Foxx could not be reacheefor comment.
Turner, who chairs the public safetyh committee and serves as vice chair of says he has heard no discussion of a As forthe economic-development meeting' s absences, he says, "I was disappointed that we didn'gt have enough people there for a quorum. These are issuesd I've been working on for years, and so have It's very disappointing." Mayor Pro Tem Susan also a Democrat, says she, too, is unawarde of any decision by council members in her party to intentionall y miss committee meetings in retaliation forthe mayor's lack of formapl appointing criteria.
The dispute has simmered for more thana "It's unfortunate that Mayor McCror -- or any of the Republicansz -- has this refusal to even talk to us about it," she says. Burgessx hopes a planned discussion of committeee appointments atnext week's council retreaf will settle the issue. bigwigs are expected to roll into town today to celebrate the grand openingof NASCAR's first airport store. The 600-square-foof shop, in the main atriunm of Charlotte/Douglas, is expected to generate abou $1 million in annual sales. That's a 28% jump over the 2006 salesx of Traveler's Treasures, which formerly occupiedd that spot.