GREENSBORO, N.C. — Trader’s Joe Co. may not be coming to the Greensboro neighborhood after all.
On Tuesday, Trader Joe’s issued a statement that it is no longer interested in opening a Greensboro location.
“We are no longer interested in the proposed site in Greensboro, and we are not interested in any other sites in Greensboro at this time,” said Alison Mochizuki, Trader Joe’s spokeswoman, in an email. “Instead we are focusing our attention on sites in other cities around the country.”
“We certainly would have appreciated the jobs. We would’ve appreciated having their brand here but we understand why they made the decision they did. But I would hope they would look at the larger community,” says Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan.
Trader Joe’s was set to be a tenant in a development which would span 36,000 square feet across two separate buildings.
That proposed development would require rezoning over six acres at Friendly Avenue and Hobbs Road near Greensboro’s Friendly Center.
That rezoning request is set to go before the council on March 18, and has been the subject of public protest by the Friendly Coalition Against Commercial Encroachment.
Some homeowners have been fighting the commercial rezoning request for the past two years. They see Trader Joe’s backing out as a small victory.
“It’s an encouraging sign that it will remain so,” Greg Brown, a nearby homeowner against the rezoning.
