The Southern Pines Planning Board will have its first look on Thursday at a proposed mixed use development encompassing nearly 100 acres of prime real estate between Morganton Road and U.S. 15-501.
Target, the national retailing giant, is identified as the anchor tenant, according to renderings included in the preliminary development plan packet, for a new 200,000-square-foot shopping center and multi-family residential complex. A Starbucks and CVS Pharmacy are also identified as co-tenants on an architectural rendering that will be reviewed as part of the application.
A Target spokeswoman, reached Tuesday afternoon, reiterated a previous statement provided to The Pilot in July. She said the company is “continually evaluating potential store locations to serve new guests, but I don’t have any new-store news to share at this time.” John Silverman, managing partner and co-founder of Midland Atlantic Properties, told The Pilot that Southern Pines has been on the firm’s radar for a number of years. The Ohio-based company has developed more than 50 shopping centers across the country, notably Southpoint, an award-winning 320-acre project in Durham that includes the Streets@Southpoint Mall, the Renaissance Center @ Southpoint, and the Southpoint Plaza Target center. An architectural rendering of the proposed main building in the new shopping center identifies Target, CVS and Starbucks as future tenants, image courtesy of Koontz Jones Design/Midland Atlantic Properties. “(Southern Pines) has continued to grow and have community-wide enhancements that made it attractive for retailers and development growth. You have a great community and we want to be part of that,” Silverman said.
Public hearings to review the conceptual and preliminary plans are scheduled for Thursday evening at 6 p.m. at the Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave. in Southern Pines.
The vast, undeveloped site has long been coveted by developers because of its central location. When viewed on a map, the nearly 100-acre parcel is strategically located in the area of southern Moore County where Southern Pines, Pinehurst and Aberdeen interconnect.
Thirty years ago, the property was mostly cleared of trees when a previous planned development was proposed. In addition, a defunct driving range operated in the 1990s, behind Chick-fil-A, where the shopping center is proposed. The nearly 100-acre site where Midland Atlantic Properties has proposed developing a 200,000-square-foot shopping center and multi-family residential complex is centrally located in southern Moore County.
The Van Camp family, who developed the Morganton Park North and South complexes, own additional large tracts that are included in the overall conceptual plan for the project. However, no further preliminary development plans have been announced at this time.
As proposed, the initial phase of development would see construction of a new four-lane roadway connecting U.S. 15-501 at Partner Circle with Morganton Road. In later phases, additional roads would create a network of secondary access roads between existing commercial shopping centers in that immediate area.
It is not yet clear how Midland Atlantic’s plans would intersect with the “super street” modifications the state Department of Transportation has planned for U.S. 15-501 and U.S. 1. DOT has previously announced that work to construct hard medians and restricted turn access along these roads beginning after the 2024 U.S. Open in Pinehurst.
Plans also call for the preservation of the Black family cemetery on the property where a prominent pre-Revolutionary War figure is buried. Walking trails and a park-like setting along the main connector road will provide public access to the historic site. Silverman anticipated the shopping center and proposed multi-family residential complex, included as part of phase one of the project, could open in fall 2023, if plans are approved. Preliminary development plan of the proposed 200,000-square-foot shopping center, courtesy of Koontz Jones Design/Midland Atlantic Properties.
Also Thursday, the Southern Pines Planning Board will conduct a public hearing to review plans for a proposed mixed use project at 470 NW Broad St. in downtown Southern Pines.
Riley Walker Development Co. envisions a three-story building that incorporates 4,920-square-feet of office space and up to 10 apartments. If approved, the infill project would require demolition of the existing structure, a turn-of-the-century home that was later converted to office use.
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