Around Town: Stores, Fast Food Underway Near Baseball Stadium. D.C. Condo for MTG.

A lot of eyes are on the project going up adjacent to Lumina Coffee and Rocket Wash. It turns out to be a previously discussed multiuse site.

Huck Corp. of Alpharetta is doing the project and a spokesman says to look for 11,000 square feet under roof overall, including a “nationally branded convenience store” as well as a liquor store and a fast-food “component.” No word yet on what type of restaurant is expected but it will be small.

The project should take four to five months — and is in addition to what’s planned across the street at the corner of Braves Boulevard and the bypass. The latest permits there include a $105,000 gas station canopy.

Construction watch

The permits just kept on comin’ in June for new homes and townhomes in Rome and Floyd County.

From custom homes from local independents to the latest from regional and national builders, more than 60 permits were approved in June — about the same as May.

Permit values ranged from $137,000 for some Smith Douglas homes to others costing more than $800,000.

Among them were 11 additional units at Shorter Village, rising adjacent to the Mathis True Value store and behind Big Dan’s/Jim ‘N Nick’s off Shorter Avenue. Permits show a combined value of $2.3 million or $209,000 each (construction cost only) for these homes from D.R. Horton.

Also included in the June reports were permits worth $2 million for the new Tidal Wave car wash on Shorter Avenue (former Ryan’s site) and a $295,000 showroom expansion for Woodstock Furniture in Central Plaza.

June home sales slide

The latest reports on home sales show both the number of homes sold and the median price of those dwellings dropped in June compared to the same month a year earlier, and from May of this year.

Rome/Floyd County:♦ 79 home sales closed in June, down from 116 a year earlier and from 100 in May of this year. The median price also dropped: from $273,000 in May and from $259,950 a year earlier to a flat $250,000 last month. The good news: New listings were up to 171 homes, around 40 more than the comparison months.

Cartersville/Bartow County:♦ A similar slowdown — 109 homes sold last month vs. 140 a year earlier and 109 in May. The median price also dropped to $316,000 vs. $335,000 a month earlier.

Source: Georgia Multiple Listing Service.

Popcorn and politics

Mrs. Greene goes to Washington (again). A story making the rounds and now confirmed by a recent House Financial Disclosure Report is that Marjorie Taylor Greene purchased a “nonprimary residence” listed as a “D.C. condominium” in 2023.

The “value of the asset” is listed at between $500,001 and $1 million, the report shows.

A quick check of current prices on modernhomes.com for Washington condos shows a broad selection of two-bedroom, two-bath units on the market for $500,000 and above.

Greene, a Republican, faces Democrat Shawn Harris in the 14th Congressional District election on Nov. 5. She’s seeking a third two-year term in the House.

Also today:

Rebranded: The storefront at 420 Broad St. in downtown Rome is now designated as the Trump♦ re-election headquarters; it opened on Monday.

Rescheduled: Floyd County Republican Women♦ will meet again in August as the July meeting was canceled in light of the Independence Day holiday.

Peaks and Valleys

The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia

Peak to an extended celebration of the red, white and blue: Parades, fireworks and other events began last weekend in Rome/Floyd County and continued into the week as we celebrated the nation’s 248th birthday. There was a lot to keep up with, from Cave Spring to Cartersville to Lindale to Rome and beyond. But here’s one case where “too much” is just enough and we commend organizers for spreading the joy vs. one big hustle on Independence Day. (And a few of us remember all the celebrations of the bicentennial — now 48 years behind us with another milestone just around the corner).

Valley to a real summer bummer: So here it is, the fifth of July, and classes will begin in four weeks from today for Rome City Schools and a day earlier — Aug. 1 — for Floyd County Schools. We know how school calendars have changed over the years, especially from the “good old days” when classes began after Labor Day. But summer’s last holiday is now a full month after back to school this year. Sheesh.