Blanchard Real Estate announced Friday that a Kroger Marketplace will anchor its power center development in Dawsonville.

The site was recently approved by Kroger, who plans to open one of Georgias largest grocery stores at approximately 123,000 square feet, with a nine pump Kroger Fuel Center, said David Wishen, a partner with Blanchard Real Estate. Technically, its a store relocation, but essentially its a new store.

A similar-sized store opened in Gainesville in March and offers home fashion and decor, bed and bath items, kitchen and small appliances, home office and toys, in addition to traditional fresh food and groceries. The store brought approximately 275 new jobs, according to a Kroger press release.

The Dawson project is set to break ground late summer.

Were wrapping up final plans with civil engineers and getting bids from contractors, Wishen said. It will take nine to 12 months to deliver space to tenants once we break ground.

The Kroger at Ga. 400 and Highway 53 will close upon completion of the new store, according to Wishen.

They felt the roadwork was detrimental to their existing store, he said.

A $12 million, continuous flow intersection is under construction at the Ga. 400 and Highway 53 intersection. The project is expected to take 12-18 months to complete.

Kroger will anchor the 110-acre retail power center located on the same side of Ga. 400 as the North Georgia Premium Outlet Mall.

There will be 200,000 square feet of national tenants as well a junior anchor store, Wishen said. And stores smaller than Kroger from 15,000-50,000 square feet. There are also seven to 12 outparcels, but no stores are set in stone yet.

The outlet mall, according to Wishen, generates $500 in sales per square foot and is the No. 1 tourist destination in Georgia bringing 7.5 million visitors to the area.

Retailers and restaurants are talking about our site, and were very excited to have Kroger as our anchor, he said. If we can get the dining options were talking about, it will be no problem for people shopping at the mall to make their way across the street for additional dining options.

Gordon Moss Road will serve as the connector between the Blanchard site and the outlet mall.

A NEW SIGNAL ON GA. 400?

Wishen noted he has been working with Dawson County Commission Chair Mike Berg and GDOT officials for the installation of a traffic light on Ga. 400, which would provide access to the power center for north and southbound traffic.

Were cautiously optimistic, Wishen said. Hopefully, theyll be able to execute it. Its been quite a collaborative process, and we think the development were building justifies that.

Berg said the development will encourage other business growth in the area.

I think the citizens will be happy that Kroger has decided to expand in Dawson, he said. It means increased tax revenue, and I think it will be a magnet for other businesses in the area.

One of the key elements in making this happen was Charlie Auvermann. He deserves a lot of credit for his background work, Berg said.

Auvermann is president of the Development Authority of Dawson County.