RENDERING COURTESY OF CHATHAM COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENT
HERE WE
GROW AGAIN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE UPDATES, PLUS A LOOK AT UPCOMING PROJECTS
C
COMPILED BY ANNA-RHESA VERSOLA
onstruction is underway for Briar Chapel’s second phase of commercial growth called The District, a mixed-use site straddling 15-501 between Taylor Road and Ballentrae Court. The western property will include a Food Lion grocery store, a Goodwill donation center, a Refuel convenience store and gas station, and an apartment complex. The eastern section will have a mix of retail and medical offices and a 300-
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unit active adult living and senior care facility. The Food Lion is slated to occupy an approximately 36,000-square-foot building on 5.5 acres, including 180 parking spaces, according to public records. The Goodwill donation store is projected to have more than 12,700 square feet of space for its operations while the Refuel will have a 4,900-squarefoot structure for its market. The Perch Apartments will have at least three buildings, with 66 units in one, 53 units in another and a standalone clubhouse. CM
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022
OTHER UPDATES For Garden’s Sake is moving the O’Kelly Chapel Christian Church about 40 feet closer to the garden center. Last July, Chatham County commissioners approved a legislative rezoning request, which includes utilizing the decommissioned church as an event space. The small white chapel is a landmark for local commuters along the Highway 751 corridor between Chatham and Durham counties. The chapel was founded by a well-known abolitionist, James O’Kelly, when he moved to the area in 1794 and shuttered for regular worship in the early 1980s. In 1985, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Cary-based video game company Epic Games, and one of the largest private landowners in the state, purchased nearly 300 acres south of Siler City for more than $1.7 million, according to public records. The acreage is the latest addition of purchases made through 130 of Chatham LLC, part of Tim’s conservation efforts. He owns more than 16,000 acres in Chatham County alone. Statewide, Tim owns more than 56,000 acres. Early last year, Tim donated about 7,500 acres of land in the Roan Highlands in Avery and Mitchell counties to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. “This is the largest single gift in SAHC’s history and the largest gift of land to a land trust that I’m aware of,” said Carl Silverstein, executive director of the land trust. “As we watch so much of our region get carved into subdivisions, strategic acquisition of large parcels of land is increasingly important – and increasingly hard to accomplish.”