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Morrison Ridge Shopping Center


Neo

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See this on the UP Wiki: Morrison Ridge Shopping Center

Looks as if there is another sprawly development coming to Concord just north of Harrisburg which recently rejected a plan that incorporated a Lowes Home Improvement store across 49 from the town center. It is unfortunate that this development is being built out in the middle of (currently) nowhere (Stough Rd./Hwy 49). I would have hoped a retail development this large would have been built in or around the new Harrisburg town center and would help give some urban elements to this part of Cabarrus County but I think it is becoming a total loss.

Kannapolis Parkway/George W. Liles Parkway will eventually end up at the intersection of Stough Rd./Hwy 49. The new road will continue past the existing section of George Liles on a new road currently scheduled for construction FY13 and continue past Christy's Nursury on Hwy 29, down Roberta Church Rd. and then finally Stough Rd.. The section from Roberta Rd. to Hwy 49 isn't currently in the budget so this may not come for some time yet considering the middle section from the current George Liles to Roberta Rd. isn't scheduled for construction until FY13.

I will say there are a ton of developments popping up and new subdivisions are being given permits on a weekly basis it seems. If the counties surrounding Charlotte can't get their act together I can't help but think that Charlotte is going to have some major issues in keeping its growth numbers over the next few decades.

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Well this isn't a surprise at all considering how hard Walmart and Lowes have been trying to build stores in Harrisburg lately anyway. It seems to be a slap in the face to Harrisburg to build this complex just north of the city. It really doesn't hurt Concord because this is pretty much all that Concord is to begin with: a sea of strip malls, Concord Mills, and a quaint downtown. There is another strip mall with a Harris Teeter going in up on Poplar Tent Rd as well.

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I was reading a bit further back in the Independent Tribune (Concord's paper) and saw an article on this that said a Super Target could be one of the first tenants. Amazing considering a Super Target was just built on Kannapolis Parkway which is essence will be on the same road not even 10 minutes away once the Westside Bypass is fully built. I don't understand the need for it.

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  • 1 month later...

The site is currently planned to be anchored by Super Target, possibly a home improvement retailer and many junior anchors, shops and outparcels. The population densities are very low out there, I am interested to see the real interest in the project.

NCDOT TIP R-2246 is to terminate at Stough Rd. and Hwy. 49 however. When that road is complete you'll be able to throw a stone to the newly completed Super Target in Kannapolis at Kannapolis Parkway/I-85. It evades me as to why Target would be interested in building two Super Targets with such close proximity to one another and on top of that they will eventually be located along the same stretch of road.

Is Target doing away with regular sized Targets and going with a Super Target only model like Wal-Mart has?

I can understand the home improvement retailer considering Harrisburg kicked out the plan to put a Lowes across from the Town Center.

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Not to get too defensive about my county, but the development occuring in Concord is not too different from what outlying parts of Mecklenburg continue to see. Does this make it right? of course not. But to set Cabarrus County and Concord apart as the black sheep ignores devleopmet trends in Union, Gaston, Iredell, and even Mecklenburg Counties. IKEA anyone?? Or the replacement Wal Mart slated next door?

- - - - -

Neo, while the locative decision of Target Corp may seem strange now, in the long run it makes sense to them. Target is buying up land and placing a store in that area, most likely knowing it will operate at a loss for the first few quarters. The advantages to this are many. Target gets the land at today's prices, preventing anyone else (especially Wal-Mart) from acquiring the same property. As western Cabarrus County continues to grow, so will their market. Additionally, if Target enters the area before Wal-Mart they gain the advantage of establishing an customer base in the area before Wal-Mart can come in.

Target has followed this sort of growth policy in many markets, including its home (and my former home) of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The Target that was constructed in my parent's 3rd ring suburb saw little business for the first year or two, but it is now paying off. Plus, since so few people shopped there for the first few years the clearance deals at the season switch were great :rolleyes:

Locally, Harris Teeter is doing this across the area, as evidenced by Aussie_Luke's mention of the new store at Poplar Tent and Harris roads.

- - - - -

If anybody hasn't done so, I would recommend taking a look at the City of Concord's land use and neighborhood plans. They exhibit, admittedly, a split personality between an urban-feeling central core and a more traditional suburb. However, recent additions to the plan are pushing towars greater connectivity and pedestrian mobility. It is slow, but going in the right direction.

Here's the link to all the plans:

http://ci.concord.nc.us/pcd/pcd_0.asp

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If anybody hasn't done so, I would recommend taking a look at the City of Concord's land use and neighborhood plans. They exhibit, admittedly, a split personality between an urban-feeling central core and a more traditional suburb. However, recent additions to the plan are pushing towars greater connectivity and pedestrian mobility. It is slow, but going in the right direction.

In the land use plan it outlines, for example, a recommendation for dense mixed use at the corner of Concord Parkway (Hwy 29) and Pitts School Rd. which is currently the centerpiece of another low density retail strip mall. If they city recommended high density mixed use at this intersection then why on earth did they approve yet another strip-mall? This site had a lot of potential with its proximity to the speedway IMO but unfortunately it is now going to be the centerpiece for a lot of traffic. I believe they could have made this project a little better by fronting the retail along the street and putting condos on upper floors or behind it. What we ended up with was more sidewalks that no one will ever use and a large parking lot with strip-mall retail such as Papa Johns (the first signed tenant that I have seen sign up for this project other than Wal-Greens which is already open).

Instead of Concord learning from the mistakes of other counties in the Charlotte metro they have only tagged along and I see no difference in the future of Cabarrus as I do Union. For the record, I have lived and worked in both counties.

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^

(Hangs head and sighs.)

You are absolutely right about that one. Perhaps, as a former employee of the county, you can shed some light on how that came about? I was under the impression that if land was zoned one way (in this case for mixed use) a variance is difficult to attain.

Is this a case of the city saying one thing and doing another? or might this have been on the table, at least in the conceptual phase, before March 2004 when the land use plan was adopted?

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^

(Hangs head and sighs.)

You are absolutely right about that one. Perhaps, as a former employee of the county, you can shed some light on how that came about? I was under the impression that if land was zoned one way (in this case for mixed use) a variance is difficult to attain.

Is this a case of the city saying one thing and doing another? or might this have been on the table, at least in the conceptual phase, before March 2004 when the land use plan was adopted?

Well, I never said I worked FOR the counties, just in them so as to secure my statements as someone from the inside and not someone looking in from the outside.

I don't believe this was on the table before March 2004. I believe that property was purchased in 2005 for the purpose of this development but I'm recalling this by memory and not by looking at the records. Cabarrus, Union and Mecklenburg are extremely gullable when it comes to developments. The developer makes it look like a great deal for the city and county and being so the city bends over backwards to offer anything it can for the development, even if it is a strip mall or a Beazer class residential development. I have no respect for the City of Concord's development practices considering what has been ruined with developments that they gave the thumbs up for.

Today I was out trying to find a copy of the Charlotte Observer (since UP was mentioned by Dougie) and I turned off of Hwy 29 onto Pitts School Road. Would you believe that traffic was backed up from Hwy 29 PAST Weddington Rd.? That is a great distance for traffic to be backed up and there was no accident or road construction in site. I certainly hope this isn't the norm but everyday I do see cars backed up as far as the eye can see from Hwy 29. This was roughly 5:30PM for reference. I can't help but blame Concord for allowing hundreds of homes in cul-de-sac neighborhoods off of Pitts School Rd. It is amazing how large some of these neighborhoods are and the only way out is onto that little two lane road.

It appears as though Concord is two faced when it comes to development practices. They outline one thing in their master plan but when it comes time to actually turn down bad development they can't say no. If Concord approves the new Wal-Mart Supercenter at the corner of Concord Mills Blvd. and Derita Rd. I will have lost all hope. Not only that but a large apartment complex has a permit out to go in the same location.

Curbing sprawl in this metro is going to have to be a multi-county proposition because it is apparent that every county in the metro is trying to keep up with the Jones'

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  • 2 weeks later...

A lot to add to this project. I have changed the name of this thread to reflect the name for this project and have added a link to the wiki page at the top of the first post of this thread. I noticed today that a permit request had been submitted for a buffer along the creek by this project and that Aston Properties was listed as the company behind this. Upon visiting their website I was greeted with a siteplan and renderings:

Notice in this aerial view it shows the path (in red) of the George Liles Parkway extension to Hwy 49 as well as showing where the newly built Super Target is at George Liles/I-85. This feeds the rumor that a Target will be the likely anchor tenant for this project IMO. It also shows where the closest Lowe's/Home Depot stores are which feeds the idea that Lowe's may forgo Harrisburg in favor of this location since they were voted down.

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  • 11 months later...

Just an update on this project. It was obviously delayed a little but in speaking with the developer it looks like they're planning on a late 2010 opening so I don't expect construction to start until the 2nd half of 2009.

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^Interesting images. Do I have to drive an Audi to shop there?

Sad, more of the same old crap. I might not hate as much if it were mixed use. Could some apartment and small office development not be included? How about condos?

Unfortunately it is just a plain jane shopping center. It would be great if it incorporated apartments or condos above the shops, but to our dismay it won't. Had this been a little further down 49 towards Charlotte, I'm certain Harrisburg would not have allowed it to be built considering they recently nixed a shopping center across from their town center that would have included a Lowes.

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  • 3 months later...

Is this development back and running? I drove by today and for the first time, saw not one but two signs proclaiming over 750,000 sq. ft. of retail and the name Morrison Ridge. Any info anyone has would be great since I live about 2 miles away, and this project will affect the traffic by our home.

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Is this development back and running? I drove by today and for the first time, saw not one but two signs proclaiming over 750,000 sq. ft. of retail and the name Morrison Ridge. Any info anyone has would be great since I live about 2 miles away, and this project will affect the traffic by our home.

I read about a month ago that they are still in the process of getting tenants lined up, and that the opening has been pushed back by about a year or two, so I would say site work is probably not imminent. I live only a few miles from this site, but haven't been out that way in a little while, so I wouldn't know how new the signs are. They could simply be trying to attract potential tenants.

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I read about a month ago that they are still in the process of getting tenants lined up, and that the opening has been pushed back by about a year or two, so I would say site work is probably not imminent. I live only a few miles from this site, but haven't been out that way in a little while, so I wouldn't know how new the signs are. They could simply be trying to attract potential tenants.

I haven't seen the new signs, but I spoke with the developer back in April and they were projecting a late 2010 opening. Signs may be appropriate for the development if they're wanting to start construction in the spring. The development is a go as far as Concord is concerned (they voted unanimously for it).

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Although not familiar with the particulars of this project or Cabbarus in general, this does not surprise me at all.

I recently drove around northern York county for the first time in a couple of years and was shocked and saddened by what's happening along 49. I'm not even sure that York county has a land-use plan when looking at all the strip malls and cookie-cutter crap neighborhoods.

I'm not really that big on telling people what they can and can't do with their land, but what we are building right now will be eyesores, torn down, or a vast wasteland in 40 years.

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It looks like work is starting on this development, according to several news sources including the Charlotte Business Journal (http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2008/08/04/story9.html). I heard about the development and a couple of anchor tenants (Lowe's and Target) while listening to NPR (WFAE) on my way to work this morning.

I don't see where the online version of the article has any information about when it is planned to open, but the NPR story mentioned that it would take three years to complete, so this puts it into 2011 for an opening date.

The project's website still doesn't have any more information on it than it did a year ago though: http://www.astonprop.com/concord/site_plan.cfm

I find it amazing that Target is willing to put another store here. They just opened a Super Target that will be a very short drive from this location when George Lyles is extended (I expect that it will be connected by 2011 considering the LMS package includes the speeding up of this road's construction). The Super Target is located at George Lyles and I-85. George Lyles will be extended via new road construction linking it to Highway 29 and will then follow Roberta Church Rd. and Stough Rd., finally terminating at Highway 49 where this development is being built.

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It looks like work is starting on this development, according to several news sources including the Charlotte Business Journal (http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2008/08/04/story9.html). I heard about the development and a couple of anchor tenants (Lowe's and Target) while listening to NPR (WFAE) on my way to work this morning.

I don't see where the online version of the article has any information about when it is planned to open, but the NPR story mentioned that it would take three years to complete, so this puts it into 2011 for an opening date.

I guess construction is imminent then. I knew they were looking at opening in 2010 or 2011, but I guess I didn't realize how long it was going to take to build the center.

I find it amazing that Target is willing to put another store here. They just opened a Super Target that will be a very short drive from this location when George Lyles is extended (I expect that it will be connected by 2011 considering the LMS package includes the speeding up of this road's construction). The Super Target is located at George Lyles and I-85. George Lyles will be extended via new road construction linking it to Highway 29 and will then follow Roberta Church Rd. and Stough Rd., finally terminating at Highway 49 where this development is being built.

I agree. However, the Target near UNCC is currently the closest Target to me, so I tend to shop there. It's convenient enough, but isn't exactly the most exciting store, so occasionally we'll drive up to the one in Afton Ridge off George Liles/Kannapolis Parkways (typically only if we're up that way anyway). This Super Target, if built, would be more convenient for me than the one in Afton Ridge, so I'd probably go there fairly often. With George Liles Parkway being extended to 49 (hopefully sooner rather than later), I could never persuade myself to drive past this Target and continue on to the one in Afton Ridge. I could, however, persuade myself to go to this store rather than the one near UNCC since it's not much further. I guess Target is banking on there being enough people like me to support the store. There are people in neighborhoods on Rocky River, Stallings, Zion Church, Pitts School, and Roberta Roads that would likely frequent this store, and people a little further out that would probably go every so often. Of course, with George Liles Parkway being extended, those people would have a more direct route to Afton Ridge than currently exists, so I'm not sure I see a need for this Target.

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I find it amazing that Target is willing to put another store here. They just opened a Super Target that will be a very short drive from this location when George Lyles is extended (I expect that it will be connected by 2011 considering the LMS package includes the speeding up of this road's construction). The Super Target is located at George Lyles and I-85. George Lyles will be extended via new road construction linking it to Highway 29 and will then follow Roberta Church Rd. and Stough Rd., finally terminating at Highway 49 where this development is being built.

If you think that it's amazing that Target is willing to locate stores so close together, take a trip down Rea Road south of I-485 in south Charlotte. Two Targets so close it's ridiculously unnecessary.

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If you think that it's amazing that Target is willing to locate stores so close together, take a trip down Rea Road south of I-485 in south Charlotte. Two Targets so close it's ridiculously unnecessary.

You would think it would be unnecessary, however both of those stores, even a mile within distance, are both extremely profitable. It's been a few years, but even once the second store opened, the Stonecrest Store was still number one in profits in all of the Charlotte Metro and in the top 75 in the US. Unncessary to some eyes, yet people shop at both and they make a significant amount of money. Oh- and the Stonecrest one didn't only lost about 5-10% of its sales to the second store opening, so if you did the math, the two stores picked up a significant amount of shoppers to their brand and retained very good sales.

Not saying any of this is right or wrong and not saying any of this helps an urban enviornment, just giving you some rather surprising facts.

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