“I do think we need to address this going forward,” Mayor Neal Osborne said. “I think we need a more standardized thing. … In this case, we’re taking business from another locality with a new building in Bristol, Virginia. And that same business is going to go into the DRI [development of regional impact] zone at The Falls, which will give us additional state tax revenue.”

While the building is to be located across Lee Highway from the half-empty commercial center, that side of the street is considered part of the center’s long-range plan, City Manager Randy Eads said.

“That is technically part of the The Falls development in the big scheme of things from years ago,” Eads said. “[Pizza Hut’s] model is different from what you see in restaurants at The Falls. They’ve gone to a smaller-size store with 15 to 20 seats and mainly will be a carryout.”

The city approved the Gate City Highway site last spring, and work had already begun when further construction was suspended pending approval of the incentive package. Plans are to close the Pizza Hut at 2871 W. State St. in Bristol, Tennessee, to shift to the new sites.

“There were factors outside the control of the city for the developer that slowed things down,” Eads said.

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