gchildress@heraldsun.com; 918-1046
Chapel Hill — Because of the ongoing economic crisis, retail may no longer be an option for the proposed Buckhorn Village development green-lighted by the Orange County commissioners a year ago.
Roger Perry, part of the development consortium, Buckhorn Road Associates, spearheading the effort, said Thursday the group is rethinking plans for the 128-acre site that was supposed to become home to a mega-shopping center at the southeastern corner of Interstate 40/Interstate 85, between Efland and Mebane.
“With the current economic climate, retail is a long shot,” Perry said.
Perry said the consortium continues to weigh its options, which could include retail, offices or some type of distribution operation.
“We have no concrete plans to do anything in the near term,” Perry said.
Original plans for Buckhorn Village, which was expected to compete for valuable Orange County retail dollars flowing out-of-county, called for a 185,000-square-foot anchor store, hotels, offices, restaurants, residential space and a movie theater.
News that Buckhorn Road Associates is rethinking its plans comes as Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc., announced it has closed a deal on 52 acres in Mebane on the site of the former Arrowhead Golf Course to build a 317,000-square-foot retail center with 80 stores.
According to published reports, the proposed center, along Interstate 85/40 at Exit 154 on Arrowhead Boulevard, would include a Saks Fifth Avenue Off Fifth, Banana Republic Factory Store, Coach Factory, Gap Outlet, J. Crew, Michael Kors, BCBG/Girls, Nike Factory Store and Tommy Hilfiger.
Buckhorn Village was supposed to be the largest development of its kind in Orange County. By comparison, Durham’s Streets at Southpoint offers 1.3 million square feet of retail space, while plans called for Buckhorn Village to total 1.1 million square feet.
Orange County Commissioner Barry Jacobs, who worked closely with Buckhorn Road Associates during the county’s rezoning process, said the consortium had made commissioners aware that plans have changed.
“I’m glad for Mebane,” Jacobs said. “We had originally hoped that the two developments would create a regional magnet for retail dollars.”
He said commissioners will continue to work with the consortium, or any other group that might control the property, to locate some kind of attraction there that fits into Orange County’s economic development plans.
The dearth of retail has been a recurring theme among candidates in the Town of Chapel Hill council race. Some, mostly challengers, have complained the town isn’t business-friendly enough and makes it tough for developers to get projects approved.
They also complain that Chapel Hill and Orange County are losing millions of dollars in sales taxes because residents are crossing the county line to spend money in Durham and other towns with more generous retail offerings.
Jacobs agreed that Orange County and its local government bodies must become more welcoming and less fragmented if they are to begin to attract retail development, which he acknowledged some leaders do not consider a priority.
“We need a more coordinated approach and a willingness to put retail in the mix,” Jacobs said.
