ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607150002
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: KATHY LU STAFF WRITER
Houses were moved.
Pipes were laid.
But almost two years after Blacksburg Town Council gave the go-ahead to build the Collegiate Square shopping center along Prices Fork Road, nothing but dirt mounds meet the eyes of passers-by.
The town is still waiting to see the proposed three-story buildings, the parking lots and the landscaping come to life.
"This has dragged on way longer than we thought," said Donald Wagner, president of Great Eastern Management, the Charlottesville development company heading the project. "But we have to wait until we have someone sign on the dotted line."
The company responsible for lining up tenants for the shopping center has been waiting since January for confirmation from a possible anchor tenant to lease the main building. Andrew Boninti, the leasing director with Rivanna Realty of Charlottesville, would not disclose the tenant's identity.
Construction was ready to begin on the largest structure - a three-story triangular building - when the potential anchor tenant said it wanted to lease the entire building, Wagner said.
Because of the uncertainty, Wagner had to put construction on hold. "We then also had to redesign the building because we had anticipated at least four users in that building, not one. We're trying to make the design flexible so it can be used either way."
"This is nothing unusual, especially when the tenant has to wait for its regional office's approval," Boninti said. "This isn't a tremendously big project, and it is still on track. We want to wait until we get the right mix of tenants before we go forward."
Collegiate Square will be about an 80,000-square-foot complex. Great Eastern Management, hopes to begin construction by year's end, said Richard Reiss, counsel to the company.
All the grading work, including the storm sewer system, is complete. The town has asked the company to seed the lot to comply with state and local erosion-control regulations.
Collegiate Square started as the brainchild of Blacksburg developer Ray Chisholm. He originally proposed the project to Town Council in 1992, winning approval to rezone the area for an $8 million, 75,000-square-foot complex. After investing at least $200,000 of his own money in the project, Chisholm ran into financial difficulty, and Brantner Limited Partnership took over the development in 1993. Great Eastern is Brantner's general partner in developing the project. Chisholm is no longer working on the project, said Reiss, but he did have limited involvement in the project until very recently.
Great Eastern redesigned the buildings after it took over, which required council approval again.
"This project is interesting to us because of its location next to the university," Reiss said. "But it's nowhere near our biggest project."
Great Eastern has developed several larger malls including the Pantops Shopping Center and Seminole Square in Charlottesville. It also manages and owns about 1,000 apartment units, said Reiss.
Although the project's site plan has been approved, Wagner cannot get a building permit without a definite building plan. And without a building permit, construction of the three buildings cannot begin.
The last time the project came before council in 1994, two of the six council members opposed it: Lewis Barnett and Michael Chandler. Barnett objected because of potential traffic problems. Chandler was concerned because the developers had secured a blanket rezoning of the land for commercial use, which he said was against Blacksburg's comprehensive plan.
"The comprehensive plan says that a commercial project should be a planned commercial development, so the town has control over any modifications," Chandler said. "Under blanket rezoning, there are no restrictions on how the land is developed, as long as it's commercial."
John Pettengill, a Gilbert Street resident, originally opposed the project because of the "windscape" factor. He predicted that clearing the area would create a wind tunnel for houses along Turner Street.
"Two out of the five buildings [on Turner Street] have already lost parts of their roofs since the trees were downed," Pettengill said in reference to a house on Gilbert Street and another at Gilbert and Turner streets. He has kept some of the blown-off pieces in plastic bags for evidence.
Ron Smith, a six-year West Turner Street resident, said he had no problem with the development in front of his house because the area had been an eyesore with rundown houses.
"It's a shame that it's progressing so slowly," Smith said. "But I guess I'd rather see a vacant lot grow up with bushes than a vacant retail lot."
Wagner said the area will be seeded and a retaining wall will be built along Prices Fork Road and Turner Street until further construction can begin. He also admitted that he would be "very surprised" if there are enough tenants to fill the three buildings, but Boninti disagreed.
"We've had no financial problems and no demand problems," he said. "We just don't want to sign on the smaller tenants before the anchor tenant."
Boninti added that if the anchor store decided not to sign on, he would fill the space with smaller stores. He said he's received interest from many smaller tenants such as restaurants, sporting goods and clothing stores.
Once construction begins on Collegiate Square, Boninti predicted that it would take only about a year to complete.
"It could be any day now," he said.
LENGTH: Long : 102 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM/Staff. Blacksburg is still waiting to see theby CNBproposed three-story buildings, the parking lots and the landscaping
come to life at Collegiate Square. color. Graphic: Map.