Ingles still plans major expansion

“I don’t know of any bigger,” said Ted Sandler, an Atlanta-based attorney for Ingles.

The store plans to tear down the vacant portion of its supermarket complex, where it was initially located, then reconstruct a 104,000-square foot supermarket facility.

Sandler said that Ingles hopes to complete the project sometime early in 2012.

“We plan to have it under construction in June or July,” said Sandler. “It’s about an eight-month process. So we’re looking at a completion date of about a year from now.”

Ingles announced its plans for expansion in August. They hoped to have the renovations completed this year. However, the company ran into some complications in constructing a sewage lift station, which will be connected to the county’s new sewer system in Hull. Sandler said the lift station issues have been resolved.

However, now the grocery chain has submitted new designs to the county for review. The change includes a .919 acre lot behind the Shell station and in front of Ingles which will be blocked off for potential development. That lot is zoned B-2 and could be a future restaurant or other business, according to zoning administrator Linda Fortson.

Fortson said that blocking that space off for a future business includes reducing parking spaces for Ingles. According to county zoning regulations, 624 spaces are required for the Ingles expansion. However, Ingles is seeking permission for 536 spaces, 88 fewer than the county requires for such a development.

Sandler said he doesn’t expect a problem with the parking issue, noting that the proposed space should be sufficient for Ingles traffic. The very large Ingles lot is rarely, if ever, close to full.