This article was originally published in The Citizen-Times
WEAVERVILLE – Developer Steve Vermillion says Northridge Commons, which will be home to 477,410 square feet of retail space, is on schedule to open in spring 2009. A Wal-Mart Supercenter and a Lowe’s Home Improvement store will anchor the center, on 83 acres off Monticello Road at the southwest corner of Future Interstate 26 and US 25-70.
“We had to slow down a little, waiting on Progress Energy, Charter Communications and Verizon to move a bunch of lines through the property,” said Vermillion, a principal with project developer The Carolina Group, LLC. “We had to wait a little on the grading operation, but things are looking pretty good-about like what we expected.”
Spokeswoman for Wal-Mart and Lowe’s said they plan to open in spring 2009.
The project generated controversy in late 2006 and early 2007 because about 50 families living in the Mountain Terrace Mobile Home Park on the site were evicted. But the developer, joined by the Affordable Housing Coalition of Asheville and Buncombe County and the grass-roots organization Weaverville First raised more than $63,000 to facilitate moves for the people affected. All families have been relocated.
John Boyle, Citizen-Times
