Talk of a proposed grocery store in south Forsyth has nearby residents fired up.

On Wednesday, a meeting was held at the Fowler Park Community Building to allow neighbors to hear plans from developers about a proposed Kroger to be built at the intersection of Castleberry and Bethelview roads.

The proposed development would be 26 acres, which along with the store would include space for other stores and a fuel center, and at 141,020 square feet would be one of the larger grocery stores in the area. The development would also add a traffic signal at Steeplechase Boulevard.

“The closest example to this is the store we have on Highway 20 and Suwanee Dam, as far as what’s inside and why it’s so much bigger,” said Paul Xhajanka, real estate manager for Kroger. “Fifty percent of the store is actually aisle space. The aisles are wider, there’ a lot of aisle space in the store.”

The size of the development was one of several issues that neighbors, including those from two nearby subdivisions, were concerned with.

Those in attendance were also worried about traffic at an already congested intersection, noise, issues with construction and, in general, seemed to be in favor of a smaller store.

The meeting was the first of several that will happen between Kroger and the community, and the meeting is a requirement for the land to be rezoned from its current industrial district (M1) to commercial business district (CBD.)

Xhajanka was joined by traffic and zoning variance experts to let locals know what the current plans were. The zoning application must go before the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners to be approved.