WHAT: University Mall Renovation Ground-Breaking
WHO: Dwight Bassett, Chapel Hill Economic Development officer
Paul Harnett, vice president of Madison Marquette
Peter de Leon, general manager of University Mall
WHEN: 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 20
WHERE: University Mall, 201 South Estes Drive, Chapel Hill
BY GREGORY CHILDRESS
gchildress@heraldsun.com; 419-6645
CHAPEL HILL -- The owner of University Mall is holding a ground-breaking ceremony for new exterior renovation that will include a new road to allow access from U.S. 15-501 near A Southern Season and K&W Restaurant.
The event, scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, will include a backhoe ceremonial ground-breaking and comments by town officials and representatives of Madison Marquette, the firm that owns the mall.
In addition to the new road entrance, the multimillion-dollar renovation at Chapel Hill's only enclosed mall will include detailed landscaping and the installation of new lighting fixtures and canopies at mall entrances.
Construction on the road will begin shortly after the groundbreaking ceremony and is scheduled for completion in early September.
The exterior renovation follows last year's interior improvements that included new seating areas, new lighting and flooring and a community performance stage.
"We're very excited about the continuation of the interior renovation and carrying that to the exterior," said Kelly A. Canfield, director of marketing. "We want to make this a community center, more attractive to merchants and bring the community into the mall."
Dwight Bassett, the town's economic development officer, said the renovation will make the mall a much more attractive site for prospective tenants and approve accessibility for customers.
He noted that while the mall does not have an abundance of vacancies, there is a 10,000-square-foot space on the back side of the mall that he said will be helped by the new road entrance.
"This will make that more of a prime location," Bassett said.
Councilwoman Laurin Easthom said she is thrilled to see improvements being carried out at University Mall.
"It sounds exciting," Easthom said. "Every time I drive by I think about what's going to happen there."
