A new Kroger Marketplace is expected to open in spring of 2026 in Barrow County, bringing an estimated 250-300 jobs to the community, according to Barrow County’s Economic Development Director Ben McDaniel.
Why It’s Newsworthy: The new development will bring hundreds of jobs and a boost in GDP to the growing county. While traffic concerns are being noted, the Board of Commissioners has taken steps to address it.
Barrow County ranks at 153 out of 159 in terms of county size in Georgia, and 29th in population size. With a limited area to work with, Barrow faces a challenge of maintaining its rural culture while developing with the growth of the county as a whole.
“We really want to maintain a rural balance … we are a small county, 163 square miles, so we have to be very strategic about what we want and where we want things to go,” McDaniel said on the development of the county.
Barrow County citizens’ initial reactions to the groundbreaking varied greatly.
While there was excitement at the prospect of a Kroger nearby, the official announcement of the groundbreaking was also met with complaints, with more than 20 citing issues such as increased traffic.
The development site of the Kroger lies alongside a state highway, limiting the oversight that the Barrow County Government has over infrastructure growth.
“I can’t control a state highway, and Highway 81 is a state highway, but what we can control is everything else there, and a lot of that’s within the planning and zoning department and the Board of Commissioners,” McDaniel said.
The Barrow County Board of Commissioners, all of whom ran unopposed in the Nov. 5 election, did add an addendum to the approval back in March 26, 2024 to address the issues of traffic buildup, stating: “The developer shall conduct a traffic signal warrant study at the intersection of Hwy 81 and the proposed hospital in front of the development’s main entrance. If a traffic signal is warranted, the developer shall be responsible for paying one-third of the traffic signal installation cost.”
This study is ongoing.
Kevin Duer is a fourth-year student majoring in journalism.
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