Fletcher reviews retail-recruitment plan, seeks retail-rehab grant opportunities

Fletcher Town Council on Tuesday reviewed a retail-recruitment presentation and discussed a potential retail-rehabilitation grant aimed at attracting and supporting new businesses in town.

Town Manager (name not specified in transcript) summarized the Retail Strategies analysis and said the consultants used mobile data and demographic mapping to define a customized trade area that stretches into neighboring communities. The manager said the trade-area analysis estimates total market supply at about $1.7 billion and that the consultants identified a gap — which the presentation described as “over $100 million higher” and which the presenter characterized as “just almost $115 million” — as an opportunity for retail capture in the region.

The manager summarized the categories with the largest gaps as grocery stores, gas stations, general merchandise, health and personal care, and some food-service segments. “Grocery stores was the highest,” the manager said, noting that the town has seen continuing interest in grocery and convenience development. Consultants also flagged population and income patterns: a three-mile radius draws roughly 27,000 residents and a larger customized trade area extends as far north and south into surrounding neighborhoods.

Retail Strategies representatives (including Eric Roffa and Heather Taylor) and staff discussed next steps: outreach to brokers and property owners, follow-up conversations with retailers at trade shows, use of a shared project platform (Basecamp) to collect leads, and on-the-ground visits to potential sites. Staff told council the typical timeline from recruitment to a lease and opening can take up to three years but varies by deal. The manager said consultants have begun “hitting the ground running” and that staff will share reports and materials with council.

On a related item, staff said they are researching a retail-rehabilitation grant program and have contacted one Plaza shopping-center owner about the possibility of applying. “He is willing to meet with us,” the manager said; staff and a council member planned a follow-up meeting in the coming days to discuss whether the owner would qualify as an applicant and how a grant might interact with the Town Center project.

Council members asked practical questions about site visibility, parking and whether demand indicated by the consultants would translate inside town limits. Staff said the data helps target categories the town should recruit while also recognizing that some high-demand uses — such as fuel stations — may be more likely at major intersections outside the town center.

The council took no formal vote on recruitment or the grant program at the meeting; staff will return with updates as consultants continue outreach.