Coming to Fern Creek....

is Chick-Fil-A which will apparently be an outlot at the new Kohl's location on Bardstown Road.

I can't get overexcited about yet another addition to the chain wasteland out here, but it beats having another drug store on that corner.

Where did you hear this?

Where did you hear this?

The out lots at the soon-to-open Kohls (just south of the Gene Snyder on Bardstown) are supposed to house a Chic Fil A and a Paneras. As bad luck would have it, the Chick Fil A "coming soon" sign is up in the lot that is currently active. What a nice addition to the neighborhood--NOT!

Yes, I spotted the sign yesterday as I was headed out of town.

I'm very frustrated with the mindset that Fern Creek only needs or wants chains. There ARE people with money to invest in this community, but they just gravitate toward the tried and BORING (refuse to call it true).

At some point in the not too distant future, I'm going to have to escape from here. FC has turned into nothing but a suburb identical to suburbs in every other metro area in the south. Kroger, Walgreens, McDonalds all in a row with a chance of scattered Outback and Cracker Barrel.

Needless to say I'm not a huge fan of the "developers" who insist on blighting the modern landscape with boxes, drugstores, and strip malls on every corner. Don't even get me started on the idiots who put the Wal-Mart at the Snyder with ONE, count it, ONE entrance/exit. Amazingly STUPID pseudo-planning there. Thankfully, I rarely have need of anything from that store.

[Robin Garr]

Don't even get me started on the idiots who put the Wal-Mart at the Snyder with ONE, count it, ONE entrance/exit. Amazingly STUPID pseudo-planning there. Thankfully, I rarely have need of anything from that store.

Probably better blame the traffic engineers rather than Walmart for that one. "Curb cuts" - points where traffic enters and exits the highway - are known traffic knots, and it's difficult to get permission to add one. Ever notice how sometimes a row of stores will all share a single entrance? The idea is to keep traffic on the highway moving, but of course the idea doesn't always work out.

I don't find the traffic all that bad in that area (or Fern Creek in general) with a few exceptions. Bardstown Rd going south past Hurstbourne from about 5 or so till six or so is bad and especially on Friday's it's backed up. Thankfully also, I don't have to go in that direction.

I worked at Chi-Chi's corporate office back in the 80's and lived on the north edge of Fern Creek. I used Sim's animal hospital as my vet, and remember him crying that Chi-Chi's should build in FC, or for that matter, anyone should build in FC.

Now that FC "has it all", nothing but crying about it!!!

Hmph.

What's wrong with Chick-fil-A? They make a perfectly acceptable chicken sandwich and waffle fries.

What the hell else you gonna put in an out lot in front of Kohl's?

Hell, I was tickled when they built the one in Springhurst.

I guess Fern Creek is too good for Chick-fil-A.

Apparently it's not too good for Kohl's though. Irony.

is Chick-Fil-A which will apparently be an outlot at the new Kohl's location on Bardstown Road.

I can't get overexcited about yet another addition to the chain wasteland out here, but it beats having another drug store on that corner.

Chick-Fil-a is one of the better franchises. The chicken sandwiches and nuggets they sell are as good as anybody's. Different than Southern fried chicken, but better than any fast food chicken.

No matter where a restaurant is located; it's ALWAYS the person that decides whether or not it's too good for them.

Chick-Fil-a is one of the better franchises. The chicken sandwiches and nuggets they sell are as good as anybody's.

+1

"What the hell else you gonna put in an out lot in front of Kohl's?.

Uh, let's see. Perhaps, eh, ....landscaping? In other words, why even cram another venue in front of Kohl's much less another run of the mill franchise. Frankly, I don't see the use of a Kohls either, but it is too late. That said, the Kohls/Chick fil-A discussion will pale in comparison with the forthcoming mega project "South Point Commons" shopping development that, in the words of our local rep "will be Louisville’s premier commercial center." Minimum 3 years, tearing up 40 acres, reconfiguring school entrance, Snyder exit, buying out homeowners, etc. I'd settle for the status quo, but that's "progress"........ So what the heck, I guess I shouldn't pick on Chick fil-A.

Wow. Someone is very protective of their chicken. All kidding aside, I'm not targeting my ire at the Chick-Fil-A folks. I'm not opposed to fast food as sometimes that's all I have time for. It's just the general idea that independent restaurants (Sake Blue, True Thai, Crabby Jake's and various incarnations of Mexican restaurants being the exception) do not open up shop here.

Several of you have touched on my major beef (pardon the pun). This is something that every major city is dealing with, and apparently the development juggernaut is impossible to stop.

Call me an elitist snob, but I don't believe we need a drugstore on every corner.

As for development in general, while I am not a tree hugger exactly, every time I see yet more green space torn down for more strip malls and big box stores, I cringe. Look in any area of town and we can see empty storefront after empty storefront. I am a big fan of "reconfigure and reuse instead" of "Yawn. This building is old and boring. We need to bulldoze that farm down and build something flashy."

Maybe it's just that part of the human psyche believes new automatically equates better. Maybe it's because landscapes and parks do not equal profits (I would argue that the dozens of empty storefronts in this area also do not equal profits, but the tax code encourages taking a loss).

There's a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, July 29th at 10a according to the weekly email blast from Councilman Engel's office.

I truly mean no offense, but calling Fern Creek a "chain wasteland" is a tad harsh these days: Bootleg BBQ (so they have one other location...), Aspen Creek (not technically a "chain" yet), Sake Blue, Dakshin, True Thai, Crabby Jake's, Sugar and Spice, Jarfi's at Glenmary (still there?), and Creekers. On the maybe list: Homemade Pie and Ice Cream Kitchen, Puerto Vallarta, Bearno's, and Hunan Wok. If I encorporate the Okolona and Jeffersontown areas, I could get an even bigger list (Bruce's, Chubby Ray's, Sharom's, etc.).

Sure, we have a overly healthy glut of chains, and not all the "independents" are sit downs or fine dining (Las Gorditas, mmmm), but we're doing well for a place that absolutely was a "chain wasteland" 5 years ago.

Urban sprawl is urban sprawl, whether it's retail, food, or McMansions. Long and short of it is that as people continue to move out toward Mt. Washington, there's a need for more food/retail options in the area. People don't want to drive all over -- especially for a quick bite to eat before they put the kids to bed. Chick-fil-a is an indicator of growth as it has previously required a certain number of cars passing in front of the location daily for franchisee agreements.

However, as someone pointed out in another thread, it's hard for small owner operations to get the bankers to sign off on loans right now without comps. And I don't know too many independents who can afford to build locations from the ground up. Corporate retail areas usually have a few ancillary, leasable storefronts which lower the barriers to entry. Someone has to fill the "need." Look how Lyndon revitalized thanks to a revamped Westport Village (this is my own opinion about what built the Watterson/Westport Road interchange). Someone has to lay the groundwork. I see these as "enablers."

If those of us who live in the area continue to disparage it, it'll continue to be this way (investors won't look this direction). If you look at a number of the existing non-food businesses, there is a great deal of "independent" retail and services just in the 2 mile area north and south of Fern Creek High School. Maybe more money and people coming into the area will get some of the smaller operations in Louisville looking into the southern portion of the county. I'd love it. Give me a good, tasteful brewpub, a HomeRun Burgers, and a couple other mass appeal independents in the area, and hopefully we'll see a change. But we have to lead the charge.

And sorry, even though I'm not personally a chain-guy due in large part to this forum for helping me see the light, Chick-fil-a is a personal addiction. With them moving in so close, this is a bad thing for me.

Sorry for the pontificating, I'll step down off my soapbox now. I mean no offense, I just like living here.

Don't like fast food at all....but Chick fil-A makes a great sandwich. My bitch is they aren't open on Sunday.

[Robin Garr]

My bitch is they aren't open on Sunday.

And that they are so in-your-face about that. "We're at church, and you should be, too."