Council agrees to sign letter supporting voluntary annexation for proposed ABC store

The Fletcher Town Council agreed to sign a letter indicating general council support for voluntary annexation of commercial parcels to permit a proposed second ABC store to operate inside Fletcher Town limits.

Brandon Olson, introduced to the council as the store representative, told the council staff and members that market analyses had mixed findings but that the property owner and their representative were willing to proceed with voluntary annexation so the ABC Commission could consider the store’s application. "We can lease and open up something and really test the market and not take that big big bite of building the facility," Olson said, adding that the owners are "willing to take on voluntary annexation."

Olson said Retail Strategies reworked an earlier market analysis and that while some indicators did not fully support immediate construction, co-location with a grocery store tends to perform well. He also described competitive outreach by neighboring ABC entities and said that the company is considering a 10-year lease rather than immediately building a permanent facility.

Council members asked clarifying questions about traffic and sales potential and voiced support for moving forward with a letter to the ABC Commission that would signal the town’s general willingness to accept annexation before a public hearing. The council did not take a final land-use vote tonight; members said the letter is intended to allow the applicant to be placed on the ABC Commission agenda while annexation and public-notice steps proceed.

Next steps: staff will finalize the letter of general support for council signature and continue the annexation process, including the public-notice and hearing steps required before formal action on annexation and any development proposal.