More than 1, 000 people turned out in late July to celebrate the groundbreaking for a new shopping center in Gardendale, while the Mobile City Council gave a nod to a new retail center based around budget retailer Costco.
Gardendale’s Northgate Village has been in flux for several years before the original developer sold the property to Preferred Growth Properties, a subsidiary of Alabama-based Books-A-Million Inc.
The ceremonial shovel work kicked off construction on a Publix grocery story, with plans for a TJ Maxx to move in alongside Hobby Lobby.
Meanwhile, Mobile city officials approved tax incentives for a new shopping center near the city’s Hank Aaron Field, with plans calling for a warehouse-type seller and the name Costco frequently mentioned. Officials of other big box discount stores and the city’s two malls, just about a mile away, voiced uncertainty over the plan.
Text by Nedra Bloom
