Plan calls for former Blockbuster on Plymouth Road to be split into several retail spaces

It would give three or four new retailers storefronts directly off Plymouth, said Chris Grant, vice president of First Martin Corp., the Traver Village landlord.

The plan also calls to construct a new 25-space parking lot and driveway in front of the retail building, remove about 14,000 square feet of parking and driveway near Huron Parkway to restore to lawn area, and add covered bicycle parking throughout the center.

The total number of parking spaces in the shopping center would be reduced from 620 to 517 spaces. The current parking standards only require 420 to 492 spaces in the center.

The extra parking spots were intended for Kroger employees - the anchor tenant in the shopping center - but they are not being used, according to city documents.

The Blockbuster in Traver Village occupied the south endcap of the shopping center. Other tenants include Pet Supplies Plus, FedEx, Tree Town Toys and Rider’s Hobby Shop.

The Blockbuster closed this spring following the chain’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

Grant said it’s been difficult to find a new tenant for the 6,960-square-foot space.

“We had very limited interest in all of the space,” he said.

“But we’ve had a tremendous amount of interest for smaller spaces,” he continued.

He said if the site plan receives approval, the plan is to have space for three or four small retailers to face Plymouth Road. He said no new leases have been signed yet.

“We’re just trying to keep a mix of neighborhood shopping center type retailers,” he said. “We’re not really interested in doing the restaurant type operation. We’ve had more than a dozen restaurant inquiries.”