The Darmstadt community in northern Vanderburgh County will be getting a CVS/pharmacy and a Papa John's pizza store.

The news follows an announcement by Integra Bank that it also plans to build a full-service banking center in the same general area, off the intersection of Boonville-New Harmony Road and U.S. 41 North.

Spokesmen for the proposed projects say they were partly drawn to the growing retail district by plans by the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. to have a new high school built just down the highway, off the southeast corner of Baseline Road and U.S. 41.

n CVS is expected to break ground within the next 45 days or more for the new drugstore, earmarked for a 1.6-acre lot in Grant Hills Commercial Subdivison, off the southeast corner of Boonville-New Harmony Road, said Otha Warren, who represents Warren 41 North Property, LLC, development company.

The Warrens expect to close on the purchase of the acreage from Evansville developer Gene Hahn in the near future, he said.

The new drugstore will offer 13,225 square feet of space — considerably more than that of recent new CVS stores. It is expected to be complete next spring.

n The Papa John's already is under construction, across 41 in Northfield Commercial Center, next to the Buehler's Buy-Low Fuel Center.

The 1,650-square-foot store is expected to be complete and begin providing carry-out and drive-through services within six weeks, said Kevin King, owner.

It will be part of a new building containing 3,000 square feet of space. King plans to lease the 1,350-square-feet of space not used by Papa John's.

n Integra is proposing a banking center also in Northfield on a lot next to Fifth Third Bank, according to Greg Pence, Integra executive vice president/director of marketing.

The date for the start of construction is undetermined, but Integra plans to be in the facility by spring.

"The plans for the new high school (which will replace North High School) played a role in determining the location for the new drugstore in the eyes of CVS officials," said Warren.

The school corporation's proposed building project also is expected to provide middle school facilities for replacing Oak Hill Middle School.

In all, between 2,300 to 2,400 students or more will attend the new facilities, beginning in 2011, said Marsha Jackson, the EVSC communications director.

"That many students and their parents will bring increased traffic to the area," Warren said. "It's also an opportunity for us to provide a top-quality retail pharmacy in an area where there is none ... It will be a good growth area for lots of years to come."

Gene Warren, Otha's father and a veteran developer and a managing partner for the drugstore project, said he believes CVS's plans to build yet another new store in the Evansville area is good news in today's economic downturn.

"It shows the chain's continued confidence in the area market and in the future of our economy," he said.

The Warren family most recently developed a new CVS, which is nearing completion at U.S. 41 and Washington Avenue, and is completing a new CVS in Mayfield, Ky.

King said his Papa John's store will be able to produce 200 pizzas an hour. He looks forward to getting some of the school trade as well as business from industries located in the area.

The store will become his eighth Papa John's in the region.

When he opened his first Evansville store in 1991, it was the 52nd in the fast-growing chain of the Louisville-based Papa John's.

When King built his Newburgh store 10 years later, in 2001, it was the chain's No. 2853 store.

He said the Darmstadt store will become the chain's No. 3681 store.

Source: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/aug/11/development-boom-in-darmstadt/