Tractor Supply eyes Dabney Drive site


One of the nation’s largest farm supply retail chains plans to open a store in Henderson and will go before the Zoning Board of Adjustment this afternoon to seek a special-use permit.

Tractor Supply Co. wants to open a 24,000-square-foot store in part of the old Kmart building at 1733 Dabney Drive. A similar retailer, Quality Farm Supply, used to be in the building, but it closed because of problems at the corporate level.

Mighty Dollar occupies the side of the building closer to North Cooper Drive. Tractor Supply will take the side closer to Interstate 85, city zoning administrator Brownell Wright said, and will use outdoor space on the 6-acre lot for product displays.

Wright said the company needs a special-use permit because the retail space exceeds 10,000 square feet.

The city sent out notice Tuesday of today’s special meeting of the Zoning Board of Adjustment at 3:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building. Aside from the approval of the minutes from the May meeting, the only business before the board will be the public hearing for Tractor Supply.

The zoning board did not hold its usual first-Tuesday-of-the-month meeting in June because it had no business. Asked why Tractor Supply couldn’t wait until the next board meeting, which would be July 5, Wright said: “I asked the same question.”

He said Tractor Supply reported an issue with lenders that required closing by June 30. The city received the application for the special-use permit June 9, Wright said.

Tractor Supply is based in Brentwood, Tenn., and was founded in 1938. As of March 26, the company operated 528 stores in 34 states, according to the report on the company at Yahoo! Finance.

“Tractor Supply Company (TSC) supplies tractor parts, not entire tractors, and in its stores weekend farmers and ranchers can also pick up farm supplies (including its own private labels) such as fencing, animal feeds and medicines, garden products, riding mowers, and work clothes,” Hoover’s Online reports. “TSC concentrates its stores in rural areas and near large cities to cater to full- and part-time farmers and ranchers and to contractors.”

The company also has at least one link to Vance County, even if it’s in name only: The corporate secretary is M. Kim Vance.