Construction moving along with Starbucks
The newly-built Starbucks at Renaissance at Colony Park
Tyler Cleveland
RIDGELAND – One construction project is complete and several others are nearing an end in the cities of Ridgeland and Madison.
The new brick-and-mortar Starbucks at Renaissance at Colony Park that Ridgeland officials announced in March opened a week ago after five months of construction.
Ridgeland Director of Community Development Alan Hart was happy to report that the site plan for a 45-seat dining area and drive-thru window were built to specification.
“They pretty much built exactly what they’d planned,” Hart said. “Other than a couple of small architectural changes that we are still trying to smooth out – but nothing major, at all – its perfect.”
Nearby, renovations on the building that will house upscale restaurant Seafood R’evolution are complete.
Renowned chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto plan to open the restaurant, which promises to offer a cultural fusion of foods and flavors that have shaped the Gulf Coast’s culinary scene, within 45 to 60 days.
Over on Highway 51 in Ridgeland, GotGear Motorsports is steadily working on it’s expansion that will add 75,000 additional square feet of space to it’s ever-growing showroom and workshop.
Hart said engineers are constructing a building to bridge the gap between GotGears’ existing structure and former mattress store next door, which sat 7.5 feet higher than the original structure.
“They had to get creative with it,” Hart said. “But they have a couple of internal staircases that lead from one level to the other, and they have made it work. It’s really going to look nice.”
The new area should be open by the end of the year, but could be completed even earlier.
In Madison, nearly a dozen new businesses are in the process of constructing new buildings or renovating existing structures.
The big news in Madison is that the Sam’s Club location at the corner of Grandview Boulevard and Madison Avenue is right on schedule.
“It’s moving right along,” Madison Director of Community Development Alan Hoops said. “I can’t tell you exactly when it’s going to be finished and ready for them to move in, but it should be sometime in 2015.”
River Hills Bank plans to open their first branch outside of the cities of Port Gibson and Vicksburg as soon as construction is complete on the new facility it is currently building at the corner of Fountains Boulevard and Highland Colony Parkway.
Madison Preschool is building a new building inside the Homestead Office Park.
Hoops said Wednesday the Longhorn Steakhouse on Grandview Boulevard in front of the existing Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt has been framed, but added that he could not give an estimate for a completion date.
And steady growth in housing opportunities, he said, has helped grow the economy steadily over the past couple of years – with more on the way.
“We never really had a real lull in housing,” Hoops said. “We’ve always had demand here.”
Other projects under construction or recently completed in Madison include:
– A new Firestone Complete AutoCare is soon to open on Highway 51 and Highway 463 near Walgreens.
– Four Seasons Carwash on Highway 463 and Park Place Boulevard is nearing completion.
– First Baptist Church of Madison is building a new sanctuary.
– Parkway Pentecostal Church is building an entirely new site at the corner of Bozeman and Annandale Reunion Parkway.
