Update 7 February 2020 – I’d say that Fifth Street Station (Wegmans, et al) is a rousing success.
“New fast food and restaurant chains soon will join other stores in Albemarle County’s 5th St. Station, according to a news release from developer 5th Street Station Ventures LLC.
The newly announced eateries joining the retail hub’s other mixed-use occupants are Auntie Anne’s, BurgerFi, Caribou Coffee, Chickie’s & Pete’s, Pei Wei and Wing Zone, which are chains owned by restaurant giant Aramark. They are expected to open sometime this winter. Previously announced Basil Mediterranean and Rotika Indian Eats are set to open sometime this fall.
“We are thrilled with how the market has responded to our existing retail and restaurant lineup at 5th St. Station, with many merchants breaking nationwide sales records at this location,” Jeff Garrison, partner at 5th Street Station Ventures, said in the release. “Through this partnership with Aramark, the addition of these new establishments to our food hall concept at The Yard is a win-win for the community, and we can’t wait to unveil them to the public.”
The retail center is close to maximum occupancy, officials said.”
The title quote from Hugh Underwood in today’s Daily Progress (update Feb 2020 – Yet another DP broken link) accurately sums up the approval of the Avon Center.
The segmentation of our region continues …
One of the greatest negatives about living on the east side (Mill Creek, Lake Reynovia, Marshall Manor, etc.) or south side of Charlottesville is the lack of shopping; now that problem will be no more.
The Fifth Street-Avon Center development will bring a grocery, home improvement store and large discount retailer, along with a promenade of smaller shops and restaurants. It will be located just south of Charlottesville between Fifth Street and Avon Street Extended.
Even better –
The entire project will be LEED certified, a nationally recognized standard of green building, said the project’s lawyer, Steven Blaine. Greenways would connect to the Rivanna Trail system, and rain would be harvested off roofs, all aspects supervisors praised Wednesday.
And a theater too!
Generally, I think this type of development, if it is effectively integrated into the surrounding community, will cause real estate values to increase, and it likely will raise the intrinsic value of living nearby (not next to – nearby).
In fifteen years, will residents of this part of Charlottesville even know about the 29 North Corridor? Will they have any reason whatsoever to go there?
Update 03/13/2008: In typical fashion, Charlottesville Tomorrow has an extensive report.
Update 03/14/2008: Good discussion at cvillenews.
I wonder if this project will move forward quickly with the downturn in the Commercial sector. Both Lowes and Home Depot have reported lower same-store sales YOY this year. How anxious will they be to continue expansion plans during an apparent contraction?
This is some development that I am actually glad to hear about for a change. I lived on Mill Creek Drive for a while, and I have to tell you it was more than a bit of a pain sometimes. My husband’s office is off of 29 so commuting all of the time became a hassle.
We decided that the solution for us was to move closer to downtown, which we did, and we are much happier. It’s a great area over there, but not overly convenient for shopping, or being accessible during heavy traffic times around Charlottesville.
We’ve got the audio from the meeting at Charlottesville Tomorrow. You can also take a look at how the project evolved by reading our coverage from the past two years.
Living only 1-2 miles from the proposed development, I could not be happier. Let’s hope it actually comes to fruition.
I guess the miserable sales numbers that Home Depot is ringing up at the Waynesboro store isn’t enough of a deterent for them to build another store 20 miles away…
Then again there isn’t a Lowe’s in the immediate vicinity of 5th St. Ext. like there is in Waynesboro. It clearly is an under-served area from a retail perspective.