Bossier City Council groundwork for funding infrastructure improvements to support a new Kroger Marketplace retail center in north Bossier actually started last summer with an ordinance to annex into the city about 35 acres of property located between the Walmart and Home Depot stores on Airline Drive.

But until the council’s agenda meeting for its Feb. 4 regular meeting, there had not been much news about the proposed retail addition to already heavily-traveled Airline Drive. At that point, however, Bossier shoppers and drivers received a double dose of good news: A 124,000 square-foot Kroger Marketplace (along with several smaller retail stores) will be a welcome addition to Bossier City in 2015, and $7 million of infrastructure improvements are on the way to accommodate Kroger’s construction along with relief for Airline Drive congestion.

During the agenda meeting, City Engineer Mark Hudson outlined plans to extend Plantation Drive from its present terminus just past the new fire station to Viking Drive – a route that will take the extension behind the Lowes and Walmart.  

Additionally, the plan calls for the construction of George Dement Boulevard from Airline Drive through the Kroger development to connect with the extended Plantation Drive. Future plans include extending Douglas and Melrose drives to the new section of Plantation Drive.

Council members were quick to offer suggestions to Hudson’s planning in hopes of improving the road plan. Council members Tommy Harvey and David Montgomery, observing that the Plantation Drive extension was to be a “wide two-lane” road, asked Hudson to look at the cost of a three-lane road to accommodate anticipated future growth with a turn-lane at the outset of the project.

And Montgomery, well-known for pushing for turn lanes around the city, also suggested that approval for entry/exit lanes for new businesses along the Plantation extension might include a requirement that deceleration lanes into the businesses be constructed at the same time.

Council members also discussed the welcome potential for more new business development along the Plantation extension, followed by future extensions of Douglas and Melrose drives. Such new business provide employment opportunities as well as generating new property and sales tax to Bossier City’s coffers, as well as the coffers of other Bossier Parish taxing entities.

Montgomery later noted the importance of encouraging new retail business and growth in Bossier City saying that sales tax revenue is the city’s largest revenue source.

“That’s what we run the general fund on. Remember, we have to add about $1 million a year to balance the budget. That’s what this is all about,” Montgomery said, “continuing the growth of sales and property taxes to fund the city.”

Montgomery likened this city’s $7 million in infrastructure improvements for Kroger and the road extensions to the $7.4 million the city and Bossier Parish spent for infrastructure in the Sterling (Target) Center.   

City Finance Director Joe Buffington said the city and parish recouped their investment in about 18 months; Sterling generates about $600,000 per month in sales taxes – the city’s share is about $300,000 per month.

While not as large as the Sterling Center development, the Kroger Marketplace development looks to bring a similar return. Gary Huddleston, Kroger director for consumer affairs described the “new type of Kroger store.” A full-scale grocery store, he detailed just a few amenities shoppers can look forward to including a produce department featuring more than 300 types of produce locally and from around the world (with about 100 types of organic vegetables), full-scale deli and meat market and new-to-us grocery store aspects such as a kitchen department, clothing department and jewelry department. The project also includes a fuel center.

SDI Realty representatives were also on hand to talk about other businesses in the development including a 55,000 square-foot craft store, pet store, home improvement store and a steakhouse – and that’s the short list. 

New retail, roads and tax revenue – not such a bad way to kick-off 2014 in Bossier.