At the east end of the Poplar Viaduct, construction should start by March on a retail building anchored by an Xfinity store, said a commercial real estate broker involved in the project.

The new retail building will rise at Poplar and Humes, one of the last remaining, undeveloped hard corners along Poplar, a broker says. A “hard corner” has a stoplight.
Gill Properties plans to build the 7,420-square-foot building where Loeb Properties recently demolished an aging strip shopping center. The site is 2847 Poplar, at the southwest corner of Poplar and Humes.

The project recently received approval from the Board of Adjustment to allow parking for commercial uses on the property’s south end, which is zoned residential. Now, the property owner has filed a second application seeking to expand the types of possible commercial businesses there.

Commercial space may return to Poplar Viaduct’s east end

Gill Properties is marketing the other two retail bays – which will be about 1,400 and 1,900 square feet each – for possible tenants. But the additional, possible uses being sought include: Animal hospital, veterinary clinic, pet clinic, animal boarding, animal shelter, kennel, doggy day care, art or photo studio, gallery, bakery, retail, hair, nail, tanning and massage therapy.

The new building will be positioned farther south on the lot than the previous building. The state plan to eventually rebuild the Poplar Avenue Viaduct is taking some of the property on the north side, said Barry Maynard, vice president of brokerage for Gill Properties.

Maynard and Frank Dyer III, also a vice president of brokerage for Gill Properties, are handling the leasing of the retail space and also represent Comcast/Xfinity in West Tennessee, North Mississippi and Arkansas.

“This is one of the last hard corners undeveloped on Poplar Avenue,” Maynard said of the Poplar/Humes corner.

Xfinity now operates a store in the Poplar Plaza shopping center about 1.5 miles east of Poplar at Humes. Xfinity is a subsidiary of Comcast, and offers cable television, internet, telephone and wireless services.

Grinder, Taber, & Grinder will build the retail building that is being designed by Thoda & Associates and Rockfield Engineering.