Retail and Residential Development Planned Near Charlotte, N.C.

Sep. 24--STEELE CREEK -- Plans are in the works for a mixed-use "town center" at Berewick, the 1,600-home development going up in southwestern Mecklenburg County.

Charlotte officials approved the rezoning of about 314 acres for the town center off N.C. 160 near Shopton Road West and Dixie River Road in July. Overall, the development will be around 1,050 acres.

Berewick developer Pappas Properties says the town center should open by late 2009 or mid-2010.

Marika Kalogerakis, Pappas' assistant vice president, said the retail space would be anchored by a grocery store and include small shops, dining, day care and a drugstore.

There will be corporate office space for sale and lease, plus multi-family living units, including townhomes, apartments and live-work space.

Developers will announce the retail anchor and other tenants by early next year, Kalogerakis said.

But she said it's too soon to know other details, such as the total square footage, number of tenants, number of living units and their prices.

According to Pappas Properties' rezoning application, the land can accommodate 910 attached residential units, 250,000 square feet of retail space, 350,000 square feet of office space, a business park, a church and 250 single-family units.

But the market will dictate the scope of the town center. "We don't know how much we're going to build," Kalogerakis said. "But we're absolutely building it."

The project's timetable depends on city Department of Transportation-sanctioned road changes in the area. The city is installing a temporary stoplight at Shopton Road West and N.C. 160 and eventually realigning Shopton Road West and Dixie River Road to pass through the Berewick Town Center.

According to DOT estimates, construction on the Shopton Road West realignment should start in the second quarter of 2007, and the New Dixie River Road construction should start in the second quarter of 2008.

The town center is the latest addition to the Berewick community, where construction is under way on homes that range in price from $180,000 to $450,000. There have been more than 220 closings there as of August, Kalogerakis said.

Similar Projects

Pappas Properties has developed other mixed-use sites, such as SouthPark's Phillips Place and Huntersville's Birkdale Village, but developers say the Berewick center will be something new.

While those developments feature housing units above shops and restaurants, this project will be more "horizontal" in that some living spaces will be at ground level, Kalogerakis said.

Berewick's town center will feature a mix of shops, restaurants and residences in free-standing buildings.