By CASSANDRA MICKENS/Associate Editor

ALABASTER — The Shelby County Commission wants the developer of a new Aldi grocery store planned for Alabaster to make improvements on Shelby County 11 for better access near the U.S. 31 intersection.

During its May 27 regular meeting, the commission approved a right-of-way acquisition from Aldi to aid the property’s development off Shelby County 11 near U.S. 31. The project will include relocating utilities and providing proper drainage in the area, as well as adding right- and left-hand turn lanes from Shelby County 11 to the property, Shelby County Engineer Randy Cole said.

Aldi is planning to build a 17,651-square-foot grocery store at the site, according to a previous report. Project plans call for the store to offer access from U.S. 31 and from Shelby County 11, as well as improvements to the two roads for access points. The store’s main parking lot will face Shelby County 11 and a smaller parking lot will face U.S. 31.

The Alabaster Aldi store will be its second in Shelby County and its eighth in the Birmingham metro area. The company opened a 17,500-square-foot store in Pelham in 2012.