Commercial Confidential: Huntersville Market

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HUNTERSVILLE – It’s been a long trek for Jay Priester, vice president for development and leasing at Cambridge Properties, but the finish line – or at least the first finish line – is finally in sight.

The first store in the Huntersville Market shopping center – a Walgreens – is scheduled to open in September if Honors Contractors finishes construction next month as scheduled.

In addition to the 15,000-square-foot Walgreens, work is also underway by Vannoy Construction on the future home of the second occupant, a Novant Health medical clinic, which will also be about 15,000 square feet. Novant Health bought its parcel.

And negotiations are underway with a second leaseholder, and third occupant – a large convenience store and gas station that would occupy 4,000-4,500 square feet on another parcel.

Huntersville Market – which Priester calls a “gateway” retail center between Huntersville and Charlotte on fast-developing Eastfield Road, was initially approved by the town of Huntersville in 2008. The road forms part of the border between the two municipalities and their planning jurisdictions.

The center was specifically targeted at Eastfield’s intersection with Prosperity Church Road, which will have an intersection with the soon-to-open last leg of Interstate 485 – a prospect that has been spurring development in that section of northeast Charlotte and southeast Huntersville.

After waiting out the recession, Cambridge began dealing with state and regional road authorities and Charlotte stormwater officials, and working out a land-swap with John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods’ nearby Olmstead development.

The center has six parcels that will be developed in two phases. Priester’s current focus is getting the last parcel of the first phase occupied and then thinking about Phase 2, which would include the retail center’s anchor, a 45,000 building that would likely be a grocery store,

All six parcels are “pad-ready” and ready for construction.

“All the horizontal work is nearly done and everything is literally ready to go vertical,” Priester said.

Thankfully, Priester said, construction by Blythe Development Co. on all the infrastructure is weeks away from being complete. That includes the public infrastructure: improvements to Eastfield; extending Prosperity Church and nearby Rocky Ford Club roads; installing stormwater drainage systems; and constructing two new public streets.

“Everything has been dealt with, all the infrastructure will be done,” Priester said. “That’s the value we bring (to potential occupants). We took on all the obstacles.”

Project name: Huntersville Market

Address: North side of Eastfield Road at Prosperity Church Road

Developer: Cambridge Properties

About the project: Construction is nearing completion on a Walgreens store, which will occupy the first parcel to be completed in a 21-acre shopping center; construction is underway on a Novant Health medical center; a convenience story/gas station is under contract

Contractors: Blythe Development Co.; Vannoy Construction; Honors Contractors

Development approved: 2008

Construction completion dates: Walgreens building: August; Novant Health medical center building: January