Colonial Acres residents COULD have a new neighbor — a 24-hour Kroger store. But several members of the neighborhood association aren’t singing “Let’s go Krogering.”
Last fall, neighborhood association president Anne Shafer got word that some Colonial Acres residents had been selling their homes to Kroger. She said that 14 homes and the property owned by Colonial Cumberland Presbyterian Church on Perkins are affected by the plan.
“We’re in the process of hiring a lawyer to fight this,” said Shafer. “Kroger moving in would destabilize the neighborhood. The people who have moved here didn’t buy their houses so they could live across the street from a great big Kroger store.”
The store would be bordered by Quince on the north, Marcia on the east, Dunn on the south, and Perkins on the west. But the city’s Office of Planning and Development must first approve a zoning change, which would in turn need approval by the City Council.
Shafer said she’s encouraging residents to write the City Council in protest, and several have placed “Boycott Kroger” signs in their yards.
“If this thing goes through, traffic, which is already bad, will get worse. Property values will go down, and crime will increase,” said resident Kevin Lindley. “I’ve got six grocery stores I can get to in 10 minutes. Kroger coming in just doesn’t make sense.”
E-mail: bphillips@memphisflyer.com
