What’s going on in the Eastland Center parking lot?
Parking lot revisions, including the installation of several islands, are underway at the Eastland Shopping Center to facilitate the relocation of Big Lots to the former Hobby Lobby store location. Big Lots remains open at its current location at 3001 S.E. Frank Phillips Blvd. Hobby Lobby, of course, relocated some time ago to the southwest end of the shopping center.
Is Popeye’s still coming?
The City of Bartlesville — including its economic development arm, the Bartlesville Development Authority — has no new information regarding the location of a Popeye’s restaurant in Bartlesville. The restaurant is presumably still set for construction at the former Sooner Motel site on U.S. Highway 75.
City Beat readers may recall the BDA was authorized some time ago to reimburse the company for the demolition of the motel to make way for construction of the new restaurant. But those funds won’t be released until the company obtains a Certificate of Occupancy from the City, which has not yet occurred.
This doesn’t mean the company isn’t making plans that the City and/or BDA are unaware of, but construction cannot start until the proper permits are obtained, and the City’s Building and Permit Office have received no applications on behalf of the restaurant.