Around Town: More Pizza on the Way? No Shortage of Convenience Stores, Townhomes. Greene's VP Chances Dry Up?

The confirmed headline is the city of Rome is moving ahead with the streetscape project in the River District (power lines, etc.) which likewise has birthed another, second-tier rumor: Pizza.

While wholly unconfirmed as of now, the chatter is that a storefront conversion to a pizza restaurant is in the works. So far, we’ve not found a paper trail of permits.

It isn’t a new pitch, as you might recall earlier comments about what’s now Aventine being a pizza restaurant. While Kevin Dillmon’s popular Third Street restaurant does offer one of the better pizzas in town, the pies are just part of the eclectic, ever-changing menu.

We’ll keep watching as some work is said to be beginning. As always, there’s usually something brewing in the River District these days.

The latest confirmation — unrelated to the pizza rumor — is the sale of the corner lot at Fifth Avenue and Avenue A, most recently home to the vintage shop Into the Past.

This $230,000 deal saw LDT Property Management LLC sell to AROB Properties LLC (a.k.a Wayne Robinson, the Rome businessman and city commissioner).

Business, Inc.

From food trucks to food, fuel and more: There’s been some chatter about who’s filling the spot off Ga. 20 near I-75 that most recently was the home of A. Dam Food Truck Park and Beer Garden.

While some spotted another RaceTrac there, it turns out to be another modern-area food-and-fuel convenience store hybrid, QuikTrip.

The food truck park — which quickly became a must-go spot for many in Northwest Georgia — closed in January. Work has continued on the site adjacent to Cracker Barrel since then.

A QuikTrip representative says “if all goes as planned, we hope to open early next year.”

Fast track for RaceTrac: The Atlanta-based convenience store group is well-equipped for its growing presence in Northwest Georgia.

One reason is a Cartersville-based distribution center that features 55,000 square feet under roof — including nearly 6,600 square feet of freezer space, a little more than that for cooler space and 2,200 pallet locations.

Says a company media representative: “So it holds a lot of ice cream, bananas, chips and sodas. That Emerson store (opened just a few weeks ago) should have everything it needs, all of the time.”

The distribution center is at 100 Riverpoint Road, Suite 500, off U.S. 41 near the Etowah River.

The company has stores in Armuchee, Adairsville, Calhoun and Emerson. Additional sites have not been identified in our area by the media team — but there are rumors of a few nibbles nearby.

Also on the way: Some of the names aren’t out as yet but remember there are convenience stores underway at Second Avenue and Riverbend, the Bypass and Braves Boulevard (maybe two) and perhaps still in Shannon near the Ga. 140/53 intersection.

Townhome surge continues

Split Rock townhomes debut: The building boom in Rome/Floyd County isn’t slowing down. The newest development is the Split Rock community off Chateau Drive from Jack Pearson Construction Inc.

Split Rock features four buildings with six homes each. Included in each building are three 3-bedroom/2½ bath homes selling for $319,900 and three 4-bedroom/3-bath homes for $339,900.

Leslie H. Pearson of Hardy Realty has the listing.

Popcorn & Politics

The Greene ticket? At least some of the focus in the 2024 presidential election is turning to the Republican side as the GOP convention begins.

Set for next Monday through Thursday in Milwaukee, it will be a coronation of Donald Trump with a heavy side of who’s picked to be the vice presidential candidate.

It wasn’t that long ago that Marjorie Taylor Greene’s name was floated. Her affinity for Trump is legendary; some will argue her rise in 2020 from Alpharetta businesswoman and gym rat to 14th Congressional District candidate was built on a Trump foundation.

But the latest from OddsTrader.com, which draws a consensus of gambling sites, shows it as a three-man race: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ohio’s Sen. J.D. Vance.

There’s no mention of Greene — or Nikki Haley. You’d think the GOP would want a woman on the ticket to counter Kamala Harris as well as the anti-abortion backlash.

The feeling is that Greene will challenge Brian Kemp for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate (Democrat Jon Ossoff’s seat) in 2026.

Peaks & Valleys

The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia

Peak to expanded use of speed cameras near our schools: We get the concerns about Big Brother watching but we also understand too many mindless drivers zip through school zones — including those at West Central Elementary off Lavender Drive. Maybe a few dozen tickets and more than a few dozen dollars in fines will convey the message that we need to keep our kids safe.

Valley to breathless media coverage of Joe Biden’s candidacy: So now we have accusations from Hollywood’s Mr. Irreverent, George Clooney, who paused his tequila-hawking commercials to join the call for the president to step aside. Of course, it got the screaming headlines of the hour. We’re reminded of then-Sen. Thomas Eagleton when his hospitalization for depression led to his being booted from George McGovern’s presidential run. Or Sen. John Fetterman’s run in 2022 (the Democrat went on to win after suffering a stroke). You’d almost think some in the media realize a Trump win means more guaranteed clickbait. Plus where was all this “concern” during the Democratic primaries?