Just catching up posting these photos from a couple of weeks back.
[portfolio_slideshow]
Press release here:
Construction of Asheville Outlets, the 325,000 square foot outlet center opening next spring on Brevard Road in Asheville, is transforming the enclosed Biltmore Square Mall into an open-air center. When it opens in the spring of 2015, Asheville Outlets will be the new destination for shoppers in Western North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina and eastern Tennessee. The outlet center, being developed by New England Development, in partnership with Tremont Realty Capital, will feature approximately 75 top manufacturer and retail outlets, a food court, open-air covered pedestrian-only walkways, and many other amenities to help make this a top shopping destination.
“Asheville sees more than 9 million visitors each year,” said Sharon Morgan, general manager of Asheville Outlets. “This retail center will certainly be a strong draw for the visitor market and for local and regional residents as well. The resulting economic impact to our community will be sizable; almost 1,000 direct jobs and more than $8 million in state and local tax revenue.”
Construction activities are well underway. The new indoor/outdoor experience is now clearly visible, as nearly the entire roof that covered the walkways has been removed. Winter Construction, the project’s construction management firm, and New England Development are working with project subcontractors to ensure that as much of the construction debris as possible is recycled or reused. To date, subcontractors have recycled 65 tones of steel, six tons of copper and 60 tons of scrap metal. Any concrete removed will be reused as road bedding by a local sawmill.
Once complete, the architecture will combine historic charm and the unique style of local “mountain village” design with modern detailing that is found throughout Asheville today. Utilizing materials such as local stone, stucco, shingle roofs, open trusses, and a color palette reminiscent of the historically renowned inns and homes found throughout Asheville, Asheville Outlets will also feature a combination of interior open-air courtyards, covered walkways, lush landscape areas, and architectural features located throughout to help orient and enhance the shopping experience. The existing mature landscaping surrounding the center will be maintained and improved with the addition of trees, shrubs and landscaped islands. Adams + Associates, of Mooresville, N.C., is the project architect.
New England Development has a growing portfolio of retail projects including the recently opened Palm Beach Outlets in West Palm Beach, Florida; Outlets at Little Rock in Little Rock, Arkansas, which, along with Asheville Outlets, will open in 2015; and Des Moines Outlets in Altoona, Iowa and Outlets of Michigan in Romulus, Michigan opening in 2016. Adams + Associates, based in Mooresville, N.C., was selected as the project architect for Asheville Outlets because of their particular expertise in designing outlet centers. Winter Construction is providing construction management services. Based in Atlanta, Ga., Winter Construction provides construction and environmental services to clients throughout the southeast and has particular expertise in complex redevelopment projects.
11 Comments
We just relocated here from WI and I really want to buy a home in Biltmore Lake. I have been concerned about the surrounding area. The Ingles looks run down compared to the new ones, a lot of businesses look like they are in trouble. Should we be worried or is the area in an upswing beyond the outlet mall?
If it is anything close to Tanger Outlet mall I will be happy.
I wonder what the city will ever do with the Innsbrook Mall on Tunnel- it reminds me of “Dawn of the Dead” when I’ve had to renew my tags there.
Why would “the city” do anything with Innesbrook Mall? They don’t own it, just lease space there for the DMV.
Private enterprise (i.e the owners and interested lease holders) make such decisions, and the current climate on malls is that they are generally in decline and out of fashion.
I happen to like malls. My favorite childhood memories are of video arcades, free comics and the battery club at Radio Shack, and going to see a movie while shopping on a Friday or Saturday night. Now, the first two have been replaced by big box stores and home/PC video games, and the third by stand-alone mega-plexes (and a glut of crappy movies shown in them).
But what can one do? Life rolls on in spite of us.
The City of Asheville has nothing to do with the DMV either…
it is a State agency and the tag offices are contract businesses who find their own offices to lease…
Ok, so the city has nothing to do with it. Any chance of that space ever holding something useful after being bought by whoever?
And yep, malls have changed over the years, and not really for the better. I enjoyed hitting the mall with a pocket full of quarters for video games too. Ah, youth.
I’m sure the new open air outlet-rama will have just enough faux class to attract mouth breathing consumers who want to waste a vacation shopping instead of enjoying our lovely outdoors, but think of all the great local wage-slave jobs it will create! Woo hoo! At least those wacky shoppies (like a foodie, only with shopping) will be accounted for there instead of taking up space on a hiking trail.
I sure hope they recycle all that metal and steel.
Maybe I should read the articles before I comment on them. 🙂
” as much of the construction debris as possible is recycled or reused. To date, subcontractors have recycled 65 tones of steel, six tons of copper and 60 tons of scrap metal. Any concrete removed will be reused as road bedding by a local sawmill.”
Sweet! That’s awesome news.
To be clear, they make lots of $$ when they recycle it. They aren’t just doing it for the environment. But whatever, more power to ’em.
The construction industry has been progressive more than most with regard to reusing metals. Scrapyards have been recycling building steel and other metals for FAR longer than most other materials.
Glad to see this project is well underway. This is what the mall should have been from the beginning.
I agree. I hope they have a lot of the higher end names (like the Charlotte Premium Outlets opening in July), and not just a bunch of mediocre crap (like Shoppes on the Parkway in Blowing Rock). If it ends up looking anything like the open air outlets in Orlando, it’ll be beautiful.