The Edge to bring family-friendly fun to Edgewood

A new, family-friendly development has been proposed for Edgewood, called “The Edge.”

The development is spearheaded by J.J. Thomas and his wife, Whitney, who are also turning the former New York Pizza space into a Slice Pizza. The space is located at 815 and 817 Greensprings Highway, in the former Gulf Seafood and Royal Tobacco buildings, respectively. Both of those businesses were set to leave the space by the end of March, J.J. Thomas said.

Whitney Thomas said her family has always enjoyed multifunctional, family-friendly spaces such as those found in Florida and other places, and they saw a need for such a place in Homewood.

J.J. Thomas described The Edge as a “family-friendly gathering place” that will include food, beverage, retail and gaming components. Under Thomas’ plan, the site would include four micro-restaurants, where customers would come in and grab the food to go, taking it to the site’s outdoor seating areas, along with a 2,000 square foot space he hopes will become a taproom for a brewery. 

Adjacent to the proposed taproom, there are two roughly 1,000 square foot spaces for either more food and/or beverage or retail, Thomas said. Next to that space would be green space and seating that includes a covered stage, amphitheater seating, a playground and space for adult yard games and pickleball courts.

There are also three spaces marked out for office space or retail, according to a rendering provided by Thomas.

“We really wanted to create a space that was multifunctional,” Whitney Thomas said.

The couple owns four acres on the site, but the development takes up less than one acre. A dedicated parking lot will be added on the remaining land, with a walkway connecting it to the development.

J.J. Thomas said the project’s build-out must be approved, as well as the project’s inclusion into the Green Springs Urban Renewal District. The plan is to start developing the site in early summer and to open later this year, he said.

For more on this project, see a larger story in the forthcoming April edition of The Homewood Star.