South Main buildings to be demolished
Three run-down properties in front of the Hazelwood Ingles were recently purchased by a firm called Hazelwood Corners LLC for just under $1 million. They’d been for sale for nearly four years, inviting speculation as to the future of that area.
Brian Noland, the Realtor for these properties, believes that the new owners plan to demolish the buildings as soon as possible. The buildings were formerly occupied by Jim’s Drive In and Smoky Mountain Billiards.
“Then they’ll probably just sit on that land,” he said.
He feels that this may be in anticipation of the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s plans to make major improvements and changes to the South Main Street area in the coming years. Notable in these are general aesthetic improvements, widening parts of South Main, and the construction of a roundabout at Maynor Tire. As per the DOT plans, these unseemly properties are scheduled for eventual demolition anyways. Noland said that it wouldn’t surprise him if the properties were bought to be sold when the DOT begins construction.
— Boyd Allsbrook
