SYLACAUGA – Initial feedback from a proposal for a new retail shopping center and movie theater has been positive, according to the Chamber of Commerce director.

Carol Emlich-Bates said she spoke with several residents and merchants in the area Wednesday about their potential new neighbors. Many of the phone calls to the Chamber were people asking what they could do to help bring the development here, she said.

“What I have been telling everybody is not only do you need to talk to your own councilman, you need to talk to all of them and the mayor,” Emlich-Bates said. “Just say, ‘We are behind this and we want to see it come to town.’”

She said there were some concerns among local business owners, that new stores could hurt their sales. But Emlich-Bates said she believed the increased traffic would only enhance downtown and other shopping areas.

“People who stay long enough to go to the movies or see what is down there are going to look at the rest of the city too,” she said. “When you go visit a town, you don’t just stay in one area. You drive around.”

Emlich-Bates, Mayor Sam Wright, city council members Jim Heigl and Walter Jacobson, city clerk Patricia Carden and others have discussed the proposed center with members of Cullman-based Drinkard Development for several months.

Jacobson said the search for someone to develop the property revolved around finding “the right fit” for the area. He said finding a commercial developer who was preferred by national chains, like Carmike Cinemas, was important to get more people to stop and shop.

“One of the things that pulls people off the road is if they see a T.J. Maxx, Ross, Encore Shoes or Tractor Supply, things like that, they are going to stop,” he said. “If it’s a local name, they are much more reluctant.”

Jacobson said he met with owner Roy Drinkard on several occasions. He also met with officials and people in communities where Drinkard owned shopping centers.

He said he came away confident that the development and the owners would be an addition to the community. He too received positive feedback Wednesday, he added.

“I have gotten calls today from people who talked to contacts in Cullman,” Jacobson said. “They said they were getting positive reports that if the Drinkards say they are going to do something, they are going to do it and it will be first-class.”

Drinkard representatives showed their plans for the area on Tuesday, which included a 178,000 square foot shopping center, restaurants and a Carmike movie theater. Jason Grimmett of Drinkard said the center could be “anchored” by a T.J. Maxx or Ross clothing store.

The proposed site was a 33-acre plot of land on the south side of the Wal-Mart parking lot.

Grimmett said Drinkard Development focused strictly on small-market areas. He said the group planned on joining the local Chamber and staying involved in the area.

Drinkard representatives said the company began in 1967 and had commercial, residential and government developments across seven states. They also said more than 98 percent of all spaces were leased in their finished commercial centers.

Emlich-Bates said she believed the shopping center could “set Sylacauga apart” and help the city during the ongoing recession. She said it could not only generate new revenue, but it could be a selling point for the local Industrial Development Board and Economic Development Authority.

She added industries looked at more than the basics required for operation in a potential city.

“They are also looking at the quality of life for their employees,” she said. “With the (employee) pool that we have here, and all the other amenities that we would bring with this new development, it would only make this more of a destination.”

Jacobson said discussions with the entire city council on the fine points of the proposal would begin soon. He said he expected them to move on the matter “as quickly as possible.”

“Hopefully will be able to have that (discussion) with the public within the next couple of weeks or so and we can start looking at the pros and cons of it,” he said.

Contact Matt Quillen at mquillen@dailyhome.com.