Change is coming to one of the oldest fast-food restaurant locations in Poplar Bluff.
Plans have been made to demolish the McDonald’s at 2783 N. Westwood Blvd. — which has been there for more than 40 years — and rebuild a new McDonald’s at the same location.
“They are going to (demolish) that building,” said Tony Chilton, Poplar Bluff’s city building inspector. “It’s going all the way down — and then they’re rebuilding a new building in the same location.”
Chilton said the new building will be very similar to the current one.
“They’re just going to change their board a little bit out in front, their freestanding sign, which is no major deal,” Chilton said. “Actually it’s a little smaller than the (current) one now.”
While Chilton does not have a date for when the current McDonald’s on Highway 67 will be torn down, he said that it likely will not be long.
“It should be pretty soon,” Chilton said. “They have not come and picked up their permits yet, so we’re waiting on the general contractor to do that.”
Replacing the current McDonald’s building is just one of many commercial construction projects on the docket in Poplar Bluff.
A new T-Mobile store is currently being built at the corner of Westwood Boulevard and Highland Drive, while a new independent living and assisted living facility by Americare is slated to be built on Kanell Boulevard adjacent to New Covenant Fellowship.
“That’s a fairly big job and they’re supposed to start this summer — probably July, mid to late July,” Chilton said. “There’s going to be new roads, plus of course we got a lot of infrastructure ... I think it’s two larger assisted buildings and then behind it, the independent living, eight units of duplexes, eight of those. That’s a major project.”
Chilton also said that work on the new location of the Poplar Bluff Police Department on Shelby Road is moving along and that several new cell towers were being constructed around town.
Another business in the process of expanding is Harry Blackwell Preowned, a car lot on North Westwood Boulevard that occupies the former location of Western Sizzlin restaurant.
“It’s going to have two bays so they can repair or clean cars ... when they get them in,” Chilton said.