Milton Martin Toyota, a mainstay on Browns Bridge Road in Gainesville, may move to another location, sources confirmed Wednesday.

Frank Simpson, president of The Simpson Co., a Gainesville real estate company, said relocating the dealership is one of several options that is under consideration after Toyota Inc. asked Milton Martin to enlarge its facility.

Simpson, whose company is listing the 10.03-acre site, said the property is not technically on the market at this time.

"It's more of an exploratory time," Simpson said.
The idea is to present the property at 2350 Browns Bridge Road to other businesses in the Hall County area — as well as the Atlanta market — to see if there are interested buyers. Part of that process, he said, is for the dealership to decide if it is more economically feasible to relocate the facility or to rebuild on the existing acreage.

No one at the Toyota dealership would talk on the record Wednesday about the plans, other than to say the dealership itself is not for sale.

Simpson said there have been some interested parties from both the local and Atlanta market.

As for any possible relocation, Simpson said Milton Martin officials are exploring some areas in the local area, but he said those locations are confidential at this time.

"We are looking at all options and one is staying right where they are," Simpson said.

Simpson said the property lends itself easily to being another dealership type of business but could easily be remodeled into a retail center.

"It's a large acreage tract," Simpson said. "It has many uses that it could be.

A commercial property offering sheet from The Simpson Co. lists the property for sale. The listed price is $4.19 million, or about $105 per square foot. It lists five buildings on the property totaling about 40,000 square feet. The sheet also says that 100 percent of the site is occupied.

The main building is about 14,000 square feet, and the property also includes four other buildings that have been used as paint and body shops, storage and a car wash.
The dealership was built in 1978, according to the offering sheet.