LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A new grocery store is coming to a south Louisville development.
The retail site has been in the works for years, but has been delayed by lawsuits and zoning issues.
Iowa-based Hy-Vee grocery store will be the second space to open in Southpointe Commons.
It's a high traffic area with a Panera being the only business at SouthPointe Commons on Bardstown Road off the Gene Snyder.
"They may be the only game in town out there, but their business is booming," Councilman Robin Engel, R, said.
Developers broke ground on the project in March 2017 after people who live in the area challenged the zoning approval. The Panera was announced in July 2019 and opened June 2021.
A lawsuit was filed in December of 2020 over traffic issues.
"We were tied up in the courts for 5 to 7 years once we got our zoning which is very unfortunate, but it's just the way it is," Mike Brown, with Barrister Commercial Group Partner, said.
Soon enough, the area that's been riddled with issues now seems to have new life.
"We are so excited for this particular area to have a very unique shopping experience coming," Engel said. "Something that nobody has experienced because they're an out of state grocer. We're very excited to welcome them here."
HyVee has more than 280 stores in eight midwestern states but now is expanding to the south.
"We hit a home run," Brown said. "Actually, I think this is more of a grand slam with Hy-Vee coming in. This is a big deal."
The 150,000 square foot facility at SouthPointe will be the first of its kind in Kentucky. The company's third distribution center is set to be built in Nashville.
An aerial view of SouthPointe Commons.
"A destination," Engel said. "A place to shop. A place to stop out for a drink, and who knows, there's a lot more coming that I'm not able to share quite yet, but we'll have some fun with this in due time."
If all goes as planned, the Hy-Vee grocery store is scheduled to open in 2023.
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