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Developer shows layout for Shoppes at Marion

By Mike Conley | The McDowell News

Published: June 1, 2009

The real estate firm working to develop a new shopping center on Sugar Hill Road confirmed on its Web site what many people have long suspected: a Wal-Mart Supercenter will be the anchor store for the new shopping center.
WRS Inc., a realty company in Mount Pleasant, S.C., is working to develop the new shopping center. It will be called Shoppes at Marion.
The planned center would occupy the land that is now the Blue Ridge Mobile Home Park. The Wal-Mart Supercenter would cover 195,000 square feet.
WRS has developed properties in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. The firm's Web site states "We build Wal-Mart anchored centers."
"WRS offers a more sophisticated scope of services than the traditional local market introductions and large shopping center developments," reads the Web site. "Since its 2001 incorporation, WRS has created approximately 6,223,243 square feet of retail space in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia."
When Shoppes at Marion opens, the existing Wal-Mart store would probably close and those employees will start working at the new Supercenter.
"I would expect that," said County Manager Chuck Abernathy, who is also the county's economic development director.
The new shopping center is also projected to create at least 100 new jobs. Last month, the N.C. Rural Center announced it would award a $1 million economic infrastructure grant to the city of Marion to help pay for the extension of city water and sewer lines along Sugar Hill Road toward Interstate 40. The water and sewer would serve Shoppes at Marion.
The grant will pay for half of the estimated $2 million cost of the water and sewer extension. The city and McDowell County will be responsible for the remaining amount.
WRS has built shopping centers that also house such businesses as Fantastic Sams, Shoe Show, Rainbow Apparel, Firehouse Subs, Maurice's, Shoe Dept., Alltel/Verizon, H&R Block, Supercuts, Sprint PCS, Sherwin Williams, Cato, the UPS store, Payless Shoes, Radio Shack, Dollar Tree, The Little Gym, Marble Slab Creamery, Little Caesar's and others.
The shopping centers built by WRS also have standalone restaurants and businesses such as McDonald's, Arby's, Bank of America, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Waffle House, Applebee's, Sonic, Bennigan's, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, First Bank, Bojangles, Mammoth Carwash, O'Charley's, Discount Tire and others, according to the firm's Web site.
The same company is also working on the development of a similar project in Morganton, which will be called Henredon Heights. It will be located at the former Henredon Furniture property.