I spent a few hours walking around Foxborough Ave. and Amberley Trail this afternoon, just south of North Valdosta Road. Did you know there’s a McDonalds proposed for Foxborough Ave., with a second entrance off of Old US 41? I didn’t until this afternoon.

The only mention of this project I can find in the VDT is this cryptic note by Kay Harris in her June 27, 2010 Business This Week:

The McDonalds project on N. Valdosta Road next to the Foxborough entrance should be finalized soon….

Neighbors immediately to the south of the project say that:

This property has not yet closed. Projected closing is the first week of August. Corporate McDonalds says construction will begin in October.

They also tell me this will be a 24 hour a day 7 day a week fast food restaurant. Numerous residents mentioned safety concerns about the added traffic on the Foxborough Ave. entrance to the subdivision, and about pulling people off of I-75 into their neighborhood.

They’re holding a neighborhood meeting about it tomorrow (Thursday 8 July):

Date:	Thursday, 8 July 2010
Time:	7 p.m.
Venue:	Lowndes County Fire Dept.
Location:	Mineola
Address:	4007 Old Us 41, Valdosta, GA
Contact:	Vince and Terri Schneider
Telephone:	229-242-1978

Here’s a link to a google map for the fire station.

I’m for restaurants and stores that serve neighborhoods. I don’t see that that’s what this is. The subdivision already has a restaurant in Smokin’ Pig right across North Valdosta Road, and a mini mart at the gas station nearby. This McDonalds appears to be a fast food restaurant intended to draw from traffic on I-75 and North Valdosta Road, having nothing to do with the subdivision other than clogging up its entrance.

Despite the Valdosta addresses, this subdivision is not inside the Valdosta City Limits, which means the county government is the relevant body. I’ll be there, and I hope to see you there.

-jsq

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