By Sarah Snyder
Staff Writer

The construction at the Lion & Rose planned for Bandera Road has trickled to a halt, and president and CEO Allen Tharp has doubts that he’ll be able to move forward with the project.

“Unfortunately our new neighbor placed his building in such a manner as to severely obstruct the visibility to our restaurant,” Tharp said in an e-mail to Northwest Weekly.

“We are having some serious reservations about how feasible it will be to continue with our plans to build on that particular parcel.”

He added that he is amazed at the daily calls he gets about the restaurant, and that Helotes residents will benefit from a Lion & Rose location planned at the Rim, in front of the Palladium Theater.

Meanwhile, residents worried about elderly oak trees on land slated for the Helotes Business Park on Leslie Road need not worry, said Jim Moore, president of Biltmore Construction and Develop-ment.

“We have a day care facility that’s going to be built at the end of the cul-de-sac, which saves the large trees for the playground,” he said of the development that will also offer single-story office buildings and retail. The land is zoned B-3, General Business District.

“Contrary to the beliefs of many, some developers try to save as many trees, at whatever the cost, because believe it or not we like trees a lot,” Moore said.

In other news, Bill Ozer, vice president of NAI REOC Partners, addressed rumors that Wal-Mart has bought the land adjacent to the Helotes Business Park.

“Not to my knowledge. I don’t think so,” he said. “This is something new to me.”