People in east Macon's Fort Hawkins neighborhood split on the proposed shopping center

A proposal headed for the Macon-Bibb Planning and Zoning Board would put a shopping center in east Macon, but not everyone who lives in a nearby historic neighborhood is not happy about it. If the construction gets approved, crews would demolish or relocate two homes in the Fort Hawkins neighborhood. One neighbor said he doesn’t mind the progress of a shopping center; another says she’s not a fan. Willie James has lived in the Fort Hawkins neighborhood for 43 years. Less than a quarter of a mile from his house, crews are putting in a convenience store. Go on another quarter-mile from that and just off Coliseum Drive sits land that could be converted to a shopping center. He’s the type of guy who goes the planning and zoning meetings, and says he’ll be at the next one on Monday when the shopping center is on the agenda.