For the first time in several years, a new commercial development is coming to Gardendale.

Developer Kerry McAdam received help from city leaders when his business plan was approved by the Gardendale Planning and Zoning Board, followed by recent approval from city council members by rezoning two adjacent lots from residential to commercial.

Barring any unforseen stumbling block, that action paved the way to bring the new businesses in later this year.

The retail center will be at 524 Fieldstown Road, between the Waffle House restaurant and The Plaza, a retail center also owned by McAdam.

“I hope to get started in 90 to 120 days,” said McAdam of the one-acre site. “This will be a little more upscale than anything around there. I think people will enjoy it and be a good asset for the city.”

The building, which was home to a tuxedo shop and an insurance company, will be torn down soon, said McAdam. A parking lot will be built in the front with the retail center in the back. Visitors will have access to the property from Mt. Olive Road and Fieldstown Road for convenience as well as safety. It will also be connected to The Plaza.

McAdam said the lot is currently about five feet above Fieldstown Road and will be cut down to where it will be one foot above the roadway.

After a long dry spell, new commercial development of any size is welcome, said Gardendale Mayor Othell Phillips.

“This is very good news. In the last five years there hasn’t been any retail development since the Bass Pro Shop in Leeds and the shopping mall, that I can think of. The banks are starting to ease up and the credit market is trying to make loans. I think you will see more development now,” Phillips said.

As is the case with most cities, developers have been busy trying to fill existing retail space. At the same time, retailers prefer new construction sites rather than older developments. One of the tenants McAdam has secured was one that city leaders had been courting, Phillips said. Due to a confidentiality class in the lease contract, neither the city or developer can announce which retailer has committed.

“I have owned the site behind Waffle House for six years,” said McAdam. “I have always thought that was a strategic location in Gardendale at Mt. Olive and Fieldstown Road. I believe that is the center of the city and Gardendale will grow out from there. I gambled on it and hopefully it will pay off.”

The new construction will be approximately 9,000 square feet and not all of it is under retail contract. For anyone interested in occupying any available retail space, call McAdam at 903-7175.

Meanwhile, The Plaza retail center next to the proposed new development is ready to welcome a Japanese flavored restaurant, Sushi Village, which will soon replace a former Mexican restaurant that closed.

McAdam said the Sushi Village owner is already operating a successful restaurant in Decatur.