Monday, February 28, 2000
Walgreens snags site in Florence
Free-standing store planned on Mall Rd.
BY KRISTINA GOETZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FLORENCE — A grassy spot popular for political signs during elections will soon become a Walgreens drug store.
Anchor Associates, Inc., has purchased two pieces of property totaling 1.3 acres on the corner of U.S. 42 and Mall Road to build a 14,700-square-foot free-standing building with a drive-through pharmacy.
It also will have 65 parking spaces.
The Walgreen's store now in a strip center at the other end of Mall Road will move to the new spot.
“We just decided on this location to put a store in this vicinity and we were able to get both properties,” said Mike Ricke, vice president of development for Anchor Associates.
The area is already zoned commercial and the site plan review was approved earlier this month.
Smart Beep, a pager store, is the only building now at the location; it will move to 7503 Woodspoint Drive.
“We're hoping to start demolition within the next 30 days,” Mr. Ricke said.
The store should be open by late summer or early fall.
Mitch Light, Boone County assistant zoning administrator, said one of the parcels has never been developed.
“It was one of the most desirable pieces in Florence but it didn't have access to Mall Road so that made it less at tractive,” he said.
It also wasn't as deep as the adjacent Shell gas station lot. Buying both lots will alleviate those problems.
Michael Polzin, a spokesman for Walgreen Drug stores, said the company has been relocating stores from strip malls since the early 1990s.
“Over half our locations nationwide are free-standing now,” he said. “We relocate about 100 stores per year.”
The idea is to be more consumer friendly.
“It has its own parking lot so you can park up close and the drive-through pharmacy is a great convenience for our pharmacy customers,” Mr. Polzin said.
“It's really an emphasis on convenience.”
As for the political signs, Mr. Ricke said, candidates will have to look for another spot.
“I'm sure they'll find another vacant lot,” he said. “There's one across the street.”
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