Friday, May 11, 2018

[FINALLY!] Sad Suburban Shopping Center to See New Life

The owners of Roswell Village shopping center have secured leases with a number of new anchors to breathe new life into the aging suburban shopping center at the southwest corner of Highway 9 (Alpharetta Street) and Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell.  Once home to both a Publix Super Market as well as an Eckerd drugstore, the center, which was developed in 1973, has languished for years with low occupancy and few updates. 


Palm Beach, Florida-based Sterling Organization, through the firm's institutional fund Sterling Value Add Partners II LP,  purchased the roughly 14 acre center for $10.6 million in October 2014.  At the time of the acquisition, the approximately 145,000 square foot center, with such national tenants as Goodyear, Pizza Hut, Jersey Mike's Subs and Curves, was sitting at just 31 percent occupancy. Goodyear has since closed and little else has opened in the center.  Quick serve chicken chain Pollo Campero previously operated a freestanding restaurant in an outparcl of the center along Holcomb Bridge Road but it has been closed for over five years. 

A full renovation of the center, which is likely to begin in the coming weeks, is expected to include the demolition of three small buildings, rebuilding two of them to the same square footage and expanding a third, and renovations of the exteriors of the center's four main buildings. 

"We believe this renovation will not only improve the look and atmosphere of the plaza, but bring new life to one of the major intersections in Roswell," Marcus Mello, senior project leader with Randall Paulson Architects, told the city of Roswell last year when discussing the improvements.  

An updated site plan of the center indicates that Marshalls and Ross Dress For Less will share the former Publix space.  Marshalls would occupy 22,562 square feet and Ross slightly less, at 22,000 square feet.  Crunch Fitness will also join the center in the 22,000 square foot space closest to Alpharetta Street that represents a number of vacant spaces combined into one.  Phenix Salon Suites will also open in the center in a 6,000 square foot space.  

The former Publix as seen behind recently installed fencing 

The new Marshalls is expected to replace the existing Marshalls at East Village shopping center, about four and half miles away, also on Holcomb Bridge Road.  The Marshalls in East Village opened in 2008 in what was then a SuperTarget anchored center.  SuperTarget closed its store in early January 2017 and was followed by the closure of junior anchor Rack Room Shoes in February of the same year.  When Marshalls opened, it had relocated from Kings Market shopping center, also on Holcomb Bridge Road, less than two miles from Roswell Village.  The former Marshalls space at Kings Market is today occupied by a Frontgate outlet store.  

At 22,562 square feet, the new Marshalls will be smaller than both of its former locations.  The Kings Market Marshalls was 25,000 square feet while the East Village store was 28,072 square feet.  

Publix closed its store in Roswell Village on September 7, 2005 after which it opened its "replacement" store in Kings Market on September 8. 


Sterling Organization is also behind the planned redevelopment of North DeKalb Mall that as proposed, would add a new Costco, apartments, and town-homes to the current mall property.  

Less than two miles north of Roswell Village, Fuqua Development plans to replace the largely vacant, approximately 18 acre Roswell Exchange shopping center with a new mixed-use development.  The 164,000 square foot mixed-used development will be situated at the corner of Alpharetta Highway and Sun Valley Drive,  and is expected to feature a grocery store, office, retail and restaurant space and up to 300 apartment units.

Work on both projects is expected to begin later this summer with sources telling ToNeTo Atlanta that each could be completed next year, likely in the third or fourth quarters.  

Requests for comment from Sterling and Marshalls both went unresponded to. 

What other restaurants or retailers would you like to see open in Roswell Village?  Do you recall what year the Publix closed here and what decision was provided for the closure?  What do you think will be the next thing to close to East Village shopping center?


Please share your thoughts below  

20 comments:

J Leeds said...

I was expecting a complete rebuild with residential over retail. I’m not particularly excited about a remodel that just shuffles the empty space to another strip mall.

Anonymous said...

A WhatAburger!!
A Jack in The Box..
Sonic!!
Deedees Clothing Store.
If more ideas come to mind I will be back!

Anonymous said...

Better access is key! Traffic lights? That corner is just not easy to get in a out. Until that is fixed, success is doubtful

J said...

Reading the musical chair history of the marshals makes me really skeptical of long term success for this development. In comparison to what's planned at north DeKalb mall this is nothing.

Unknown said...

I would love to see a Whole Foods close by!! Anyone else?

Bosley'smom said...

There is a Sprouts near by.

Anonymous said...

Sonic? Jack in the Box? Who eats this crap? Just seeing the commercials on TV makes me want to vomit. No one who cares about their body, that's for sure. Fast food is done. People are getting much smarter about what they put into their bodies.

Whole Foods? Yes!

Anonymous said...

It would make sense to add residential to this center, as well. I worked at Kinko's when it first opened in this center, and the whole place was filled. Po Folks, anyone? If they added a small rise apartment building to the back corner it would position very well for workers who rely on Marta.

Unknown said...

Some vegan cafes or some healthier cafe options. Roswell lacks cool hip places to just chill. It gets really boring there!!

Just Curious said...

Southeast corner of that intersection, not southwest

Blogger5 said...

Would like to see an Ingles grocery store and a Dig Inn Restaurant

Shannon Garrett said...

Academy Sports Store!!!!

Anonymous said...

Any word on what's happening with that other "sad" shopping center in Sandy Springs? I think it's called North Springs Center where Big Lots used to be? I thought they were supposed to start a major redevelopment after they cleaned up that dry cleaner's contamination, but it's been well over a year and I never see anything going on there.

Anonymous said...

Whole Foods and Trader Joe's - and any and all Fast Foods. Bring IT!

Unknown said...

Salad Express

EleanorLanelle said...

Playground, park, (both in the corner area) healthy food options, kids clothings stores

Anonymous said...

Deli, bagel place, trees

Anonymous said...

No apartments, please.

Sam England said...

Roswell "Village" roughlyat the geographical center of modern Roswell, is a poster-child example of the failed 'suburban model' of design. (If the suburban model can at all be dignified with the word 'design'.)

When I was 11 years old (1974) it was THE place to be! We had our first twin cinema! Woo hoo! But since then, east Roswell and west Roswell were developed, all based on the automobile and an obnoxious, six-lane highway with sidewalks nobody ever uses unless they have car trouble or no car at all. The land comprising Roswell "Village" should be turned into compact, walkable, mixed-use retail, office, and residential, not yet another failed-model strip-shopping disaster.

Demolish all the businesses along Holcomb Bridge road from the Hwy 9 intersection all he way to Nesbit Ferry, rebuild those businesses flush with a wide sidewalk that is in turn flush with a tree belt that itself is flush with parallel parking spaces, and turn Holcomb Bridge rd into a four-lane divided boulevard. (This will calm the traffic, and actually make it flow more efficiently. This phenomenon has been PROVEN time and again.)

We should do the same to Hwy 9 from the river all the way to the Alpharetta line. Build cities for people, not for cars.

Unknown said...

Preach. Please join the planning commission to convince good natured people how to not make terrible decisions

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