Construction along Brookway Boulevard continues to thrive withthe addition of another planned shopping center.

SAMCO Five Development has begun dirt work on an “up scaleretail development” on the south side of Brookway Boulevard. SAMCOFive official Hal Samuels said construction crews are currentlyworking on drainage and bringing the property up to grade.

“We hope to be complete (with dirt work) by the first quarter ofnext year,” Samuels said of work being done at the site between theSpanish Inn and the BP Station on Brookway Boulevard.

Crews with local construction company Oddee Smith and Sons arecurrently putting in the preliminary drainage and grading the site,Samuels said. Once the drainage and dirt work are complete, Samuelssaid his company will begin developing the pads for the retailspaces.

Samuels did not identify any prospects for the newdevelopment.

The shopping village will consist of five stores with a combinedsquare footage of approximately 58,400 feet. Samuels said theindividual stores will range from 1,500 to 32,000 square feet. Thename of the shopping center will be Brookhaven Village, hesaid.

At Tuesday night’s city board meeting, engineers Williford,Gearhart and Knight, on behalf of SAMCO Five, received a zoningvariance for the property. The variance rezoned the back 50 feet ofSAMCO’s property from R-1 residential to C-3 commercial.