CAROLINA BEACH — The developer behind the Pine Valley Publix in Wilmington and other Publix stores in the southeast, has submitted plans to the Town of Carolina Beach’s Technical Review Committee for the redevelopment of Federal Point Shopping Center.
The developer, GHK Developments, is based out of New Orleans and emailed town staff regarding its plans.
According to Town Manager Michael Cramer, on Monday plans for the redevelopment of the shopping center were submitted and would contain a grocery store, and three retail parcels. The developer would be required to obtain a conditional use permit before moving forward.
The development would be located near the site where Harris Teeter has planned to build a store on the island; this juxtaposition has proved to be a challenge for GHK.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) would require road improvements if allowed, and that would mean Harris Teeter granting GHK land cooperation.
“We have been told that NCDOT would like for us to show the road improvements that were previously discussed with the Harris Teeter project by us installing a left and right turn lane into the Federal Point center off of Lake Park Drive. We are happy to show that and do that work but that means that we would need some land and cooperation from both Harris Teeter and the Wings parcel,” President of GHK Developments Gordon Kolb Jr. wrote in an email to Senior Planner Jeremy Hardison. “It is unlikely that Harris Teeter will grant us this, so we have a backup plan that would only require Wings approval but would also require NCDOT to change some speed limits.”
Kolb wrote that if Harris Teeter and Wings do not cooperate, and the company has to resubmit plans, it is unlikely to be successful given the timeline.
Cramer wrote in an email to the Town Council, “Yesterday, I discussed the situation with Harris Teeter and learned that they have not been able to make arrangements with Federal Point Shopping Center for the cross access needed for their project.”
“I cannot confirm the exact user at this time but I can tell you that we are working closely with a national grocery retailer who is active in the market and specifically for the Federal Point shopping center site,” Kolb said.
Author’s note: This story has been updated to include a comment from the developer which was not originally included in the article.
Michael Praats can be reached at Michael.p@localvoicemedia.com
