A Piggly Wiggly is seeking to open in the development slated for the former St. Joseph Catholic Church property at the corner of Prince Avenue and Pulaski Street, according to Athens Downtown Development Authority co-director Linda Ford.
The Piggly Wiggly will be a “small, urban” store, similar to grocery stores in Atlanta, with a “retro design” and will fulfill downtown and nearby residents’ long-standing desire for a grocery store in the city center, Ford said at the ADDA meeting this afternoon.
“This is something downtown has wanted for a very long time,” she said.
Piggly Wiggly asked the ADDA for help in applying for a $250,000 low-interest loan from the Georgia Cities Foundation. The store would be within the ADDA’s boundaries.
Greenville, SC developer Russ Davis’ 100 Prince project was approved in 2016, but has been on hold ever since, reportedly because of financing issues caused by the lack of an anchor tenant.
“Hopefully it will get that project moving,” Ford said.
Daily Groceries Co-op was once considering moving into the new development, but apparently that has fallen by the wayside.
Ford did not have any other details on the project.
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