Saturday, October 23, 1999
Land being cleared for retail
Store to be built along 3L Highway
BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT WRIGHT — A large retail department or specialty store will be developed on a tract of land being cleared along 3L Highway in Fort Wright, according to city officials.
The land is prepared for construction by Fort Wright developer and engineer Jim Berling, Fort Wright City Councilman Jeff Wolnitzek said Friday.
“It's going to be a big retail site, but I can't say right now what type of store is going in there,” said Mr. Wolnitzek, who chairs council's Economic Development Committee.
Mr. Wolnitzek said he could not “confirm or deny” whether Wal Mart was going to build on the site north of Interstate 275 and on the west side of 3L Highway, a major north-south corridor in Kenton County that runs from the Ohio River in Covington, through Fort Wright, Independence and into the southern end of the county.
Sources close to Fort Wright city government said Wal Mart is interested in the site. Officials from the Bentonville, Ark.,-based chain of stores did not return phone calls Friday to comment.
Mr. Berling was out of town Friday and could not be reached to comment. Sources said his plan is to develop a large retail store accompanied by several smaller stores or restaurants.
No formal permits or other documents concerning Wal Mart or any other retailer have been filed with the city. The site is zoned for retail development, Mr. Wolnitzek said.
Wal Mart has two Northern Kentucky stores in Florence and Alexandria.
Around 10 years ago Kmart, another large discount retailer, wanted to build a store on the Fort Wright site but the plans fell through over zoning and construction issues.
Mr. Wolnitzek said while the city does have concerns about increased traffic on 3L Highway it is happy that the site will be developed for a retail store.
“That site was an old junkyard and was pretty much a mess,” he said. “I would say that we would welcome a quality development, although traffic down there is getting pretty congested.”
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