For years, “Sports Authority Village” near Northlake Mall has been missing its namesake.
When the sports retailer filed for bankruptcy in 2016, it closed all of its stores and left a massive hole in the small shopping center, located inside the Perimeter just outside of Tucker city limits.
Construction has since taken over part of the plaza, though the businesses remain open, including Bambinelli's Italian restaurant, Kumon tutoring and the U.S. Postal Service.
“I’m really irritated about it,” said DeKalb County Commissioner Nancy Jester, who said the construction has been underway for months. She said she has heard from businesses and nearby residents about it. “The businesses there are suffering.”
Jester, who represents the area, said she worries the businesses may be losing out on customers because people might not know they are open. There is scaffolding and yellow sheathing along some of the building’s exterior, with temporary signs advertising the businesses.
Sports Authority Village is located at the corner of Northlake Parkway and Henderson Mill Road, across the street from Northlake Mall.
The old Sports Authority building still sits empty. Aspire Fitness was set to move into the location, Jester wrote in a recent newsletter to constituents.
But the lease did not go through, according to Charles Garfunkel, the president of the Savannah-based Garfunkel Development Corporation, which owns the property.
Garfunkel said Thursday that there were some construction delays because of weather and some water leaks, but those issues have been fixed and the renovations should be completed by the end of June. He said there have not been any extraordinary delays with the work.
“We’re doing what we can to improve the property to make it better,” he said.
He added that the company is "in the midst of solidifying our deal with the new tenant."
Joe Lang, the general manager at Bambinelli’s, said the restaurant’s business has dipped because fewer people can find them.
“It’s just looked really bad, like we're closed,” he said. Bambinelli’s has been in the Northlake area since 1980. Lang said he hopes the renovations “look really nice when it's done,” with new roofing and signage.
Jester said she grew concerned about the construction earlier this year, so she urged the county to send code enforcement officers to the site. The property owners were not formally cited.
“I don't think we're being as tough as we need to be on them,” Jester said.
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