New Food City Grocery Store at the Gadsden Mall Set to Break Ground Friday

Taniesa L. Sullivan | The Weekly Ledger News | Gadsden Times

GADSDEN - It was back in April when Gadsden residents learned a grocery store was slated to locate at the Gadsden Mall, in a portion of what once was the Sears location.

Little more was heard about the store from that time, until now. Groundbreaking for the new and unique business for the mall is set for 10 a.m. Friday, according to a press release from Food City.

K-V-A-T is a Virgina-based grocery store chain. The nearest Food City location is in Albertville, where the store opened a couple of years ago at the site of the former Kmart at U.S. Highway 431 and Alabama Highway 75.

In April, the Gadsden City Council approved a financial incentive for the store: a 2% abatement of sales tax for the next 15 years or $6.7 million in tax revenue, whichever comes first.

The project is a $14 million investment, and Stephen D. Spangler, vice president of real estate and site development for Food City, told council members in April, without the incentives, the chain could not complete the project.