Saga of Mint Hill shopping complex lives on

The proposed Bridges at Mint Hill shopping complex still is a viable project, according to the town of Mint Hill, the North Carolina Department of Transportation and co-developers Childress Klein and the Howard Hughes Corp.

The mall is slated for 210 acres at the intersection of Interstate 485 and Lawyers Road in Mint Hill. The land is zoned for 1.2 million square feet of retail, hotel and commercial development. Construction started in 2008 but then was suspended due to the faltering economy and declining market conditions.

Now it appears activity on the project is about to resume.

Mint Hill commissioners recently passed a resolution requesting the North Carolina General Assembly earmark $1.5 million for road improvements on the portion of Lawyers Road that would run along one side of the mall site.

“This is part of the $6 million approved by the state several years ago for the Bridges project,” said Mint Hill Town Manager Brian Welch. “Now that the project is close, it’s time for the money to be disbursed.”

Ritchie Hearne, project manager with N.C. DOT, said last week that the road plans call for that section of Lawyers Road to be widened to a divided four-lane road between I-485 and Bain School Road, and for a roundabout to be built at the intersection of Lawyers and Bain School roads.

The intersection currently is a Y intersection and considered inadequate to handle additional traffic.

Howard Hughes spokeswoman Caryn Kboudi said that while Mint Hill’s vote was a show of support for the project, it also was an endorsement of the overall town plan.

“This public funding will go well beyond this project to benefit the community and surrounding area. These improvements are part of the town’s small area plan and vision in terms of development,” Kboudi said.

She said things are starting to move ahead and that there’s been a strong interest in the project from the retail community.

Chris Thomas, a partner with Childress Klein, said he’s not ready to commit to a schedule for building the complex but should be able to give some concrete answers soon.

“We will be completing the roadway drawings and permitting process with N.C. DOT. The timeline will be driven by the permitting process, and as we get further along we can make firmer commitments.

“We’re also working on the site plan and its revisions. All site-related permits are already in place, so in essence, we will be restarting what was already started in 2008,” Thomas said.

“We’ll come back to the town in the next few months with an update on the project and hope to have a timeline then,” he said.