STEELE CREEK NEWS: Dirt is Moving at Steele Creek’s New Outlet Mall Site
Look out residents of Steele Creek, a new OUTLET MALL is coming to your area!
As of August 5, grading has begun at the site of the new Charlotte Premium Outlets, a joint venture of Tanger Outlets of Greensboro and Simon Property Group of Indianapolis. Its opening is still anticipated in 2014. Upon it’s completion, the site will be home to more than 90 high-end brand name, designer outlet stores! The merchandise will be last-year’s styles or outlet store-items only, so that they can be sold at lower/reduced prices. Sounds likea deal to me!
As described by the developer, the mall will have a “racetrack style layout, with an interior loop similar to Concord Mills, but it will be about one fourth the size of Concord Mills.” The design will be completlypedestrian-friendly and have a total open air experience with urban plazas mixed in. It’s no wonder that the mall is expected to draw shoppers from a large area around Charlotte to Steele Creek.
As taken from www.steelecreekresidents.org:”The site plan below shows, the mall will be located on high ground south of Shopton Road overlooking I-485. The sections highlighted in yellow will not be built initially and will be used for future expansion.
Spaces are reserved along the new Dixie River Road for five nationally-known sit-down restaurants. The parking lot will sit between the restaurants and the mall. The mall will not likely have a food court but should have a few small food options.”
The site plan includes a large storm water retention pond. This is expected to be landscaped and accessible to pedestrians, unlike most similar ponds that are surrounded by chain link fences and weeds. Past development in the area has resulted in excessive sedimentation in Brown’s Cove on Lake Wylie. Developers have agreed to include extensive erosion controls to help with runoff from the site.
The south end of the development will have a hotel, offices, and other retail.
Area residents have been concerned about traffic, but the project includes about $7.7 million in road improvements. The developers will pay the total cost but receive up to $5.1 million in property tax rebates from Charlotte and Mecklenburg County over ten years. The North Carolina Department of Transportation also will contribute to the cost of some improvements.
Road work will include:
- Additional lanes on Steele Creek Road
- Traffic signals at both entrance ramps from I-485 at Steele Creek Road
- Completion of Dixie River Road as a 4-lane median divided highway
- Intersection capacity improvements at Brown-Grier Road and Steele Creek Road
- Intersection capacity improvements at Shopton Road and Steele Creek Road
- Improvements to I-485 ramps, including additional turn lanes
- Creation of a new Trojan Drive as a public street through the development
- Extension of Berewick Commons Parkway to Dixie River Road
- Traffic signals and roundabouts at mall entrances along Dixie River Road
The site was annexed by the City of Charlotte at the June 24 City Council meeting. Developers desired to have the property within the city limits to receive services by the Charlotte Fire Department and other city agencies.
Construction was able to proceed after the Charlotte City Council approved rezoning of the site in April. Developers also received approval for rezoning of a site along I-485 north of Arrowood Road that will allow construction of two billboards to announce to northbound I-485 motorists to take the next exit to go to the outlet mall.
See also:
- Community Meeting on New Outlet Mall Rezoning is December 11 (12/6/12)
- Tanger Outlet Staff Expect Spring Groundbreaking in Steele Creek (10/28/12)
To comment on this story, please visit the Steele Creek Forum.
Thanks to www.steelecreekresidents.orgfor providing all the details!
Read more: http://www.steelecreekresidents.org/Newspages/news462_OutletMall.htm
