Sounds of progress were heard Tuesday morning off the busy highway at the southeast corner of Olive Street and Interstate 530 as heavy-duty machinery cleared trees to make way for the much anticipated Chick-fil-A restaurant.
Local brokers are optimistic they can fill that space as the industry experiences a post-COVID resurgence and innovative new concepts for retail space are hitting the marketplace.
With national retailer Bed Bath & Beyond declaring bankruptcy on Sunday, the owners of shopping plazas may have a challenge in filling the large spaces left empty.
The approval process continued for the rezoning request by Lisciotti Development Corp. to rezone approximately 5.5 acres from R-1, residential, to B-3, highway commercial, at the southeast corner of Olive Street and Interstate 530, a move that will make way for a Chick-fil-A franchise in Pine Bluff.