The first store has opened in the second phase of Main Street Oak Ridge.
The new store, Five Below, had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday morning.
Five Below has many products priced between $1-$5, and some over $5. Products sold in the store include art and creative products, clothing and sporting items, candy, and technological equipment.
[Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission will again consider revisions to the plan for Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.
The potential revisions will be discussed during a Planning Commission work session at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom.
The most recent version of the revised plan is similar to what Oak Ridge officials have seen before with minor variations. Some things have been incorporated that were only discussed before, such as sidewalks.
After being discussed today, the potential changes could be considered by the Planning Commission for a recommendation to Oak Ridge City Council next week, during an April 18 meeting. The changes would be considered as an amendment to the planned unit development for Main Street Oak Ridge. Among other things, the revisions would replace proposed multifamily residential units near Rutgers Avenue with retailers, and they would propose mixed-use areas in a future phase along Wilson Street.
[Read more…]
Most of Main Street Oak Ridge is pictured above in this proposed plan from Nov. 29, 2018.
Oak Ridge City Council members on Tuesday suggested next steps for Main Street Oak Ridge. The discussion occurred about a week after Council rejected a revised plan for the second phase of the project in a 4-3 vote, creating uncertainty about what will happen next. The Tuesday evening discussion was meant to help guide Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson in his conversations with RealtyLink, the developer.
The four City Council members who voted against the revised plan expressed a range of concerns on Tuesday that included having a main entrance, ensuring that there is a way to get into and see the center of Main Street, and making sure the project is walkable and has a comprehensive system of sidewalks. Individually or collectively, they objected to the proposed layout of the buildings as the site prepared to welcome a second wave of tenants, advocated for a public forum on the project, and mentioned the importance of mixed-use development. (Mixed-use developments can include retailers and residential and commercial units, among other possibilities.)
The three Council members who voted for the revised plan continued to stress the potential benefits of welcoming four new national retailers to Oak Ridge, pointed out that RealtyLink has spent tens of millions of dollars here, and emphasized the importance of the potential sales tax revenues. They said those revenues will be crucial to help pay off such debts as the renovation of Oak Ridge High School. That debt is expected to spike in 2022 and 2023, about the same time as the city will permanently lose its revenues from the state’s Hall income tax, Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said.
Gooch issued a dire warning about the possibility of city inaction bringing the project to a standstill on Tuesday.
“The clock is running, and it’s going to impact us going forward,” Gooch said. “I view this as absolutely imperative to go forward. The fiscal viability of this city is at risk.”
The Council members who have raised concerns and voted against the revised plan on Monday, January 14, have stressed the importance of making sure that the city and developer pursue the best development option. They have said they want to ensure the project’s long-term success.
Here is a summary of some of the city officials’ comments from the Tuesday night non-voting work session: [Read more…]
Most of Main Street Oak Ridge is pictured above in this proposed plan from Nov. 29, 2018.
After they rejected a revised plan for the project on Monday, the Oak Ridge City Council will discuss next steps for Main Street Oak Ridge on Tuesday.
It wasn’t clear this week what might happen next.
The revised plan that City Council rejected in a 4-3 vote on Monday would have allowed four national retailers to build stores at Main Street Oak Ridge. It would have required the closure of the access road from Rutgers Avenue to the roundabout at Main Street, allowing the four stores to be built along a sidewalk between JCPenney and PetSmart. It would have removed the 230 or so multi-family residential units that had been proposed by Crosland Southeast, the original developer, in the area between JCPenney and Walmart. And it would have moved the proposed mixed-use development to a future phase along Wilson Street.
This past Tuesday, after Council rejected the revised plan, three people involved in the project, including RealtyLink, the current developer, said there is no other design, no “plan B.” [Read more…]
Most of Main Street Oak Ridge is pictured above in this proposed revised plan from Nov. 29, 2018.
Note: This story was last updated at 1 a.m.
The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday narrowly rejected a revised plan that would have allowed four national retailers to build stores at Main Street Oak Ridge.
The Council had unanimously approved a revised plan for Main Street Oak Ridge, subject to certain conditions, in December. That was the first of two readings.
But Council rejected the plan in a 4-3 vote in the second and final reading on Monday.
The rejection hinged on concerns that included the closure of an access road to the 58-acre site, the movement of mixed-use areas to a future phase along Wilson Street, and questions about whether there are other site plan options and whether the development would or should establish a “city center.” People who rejected the revised plan or asked Council to reject it said they support the development and want continued negotiations with RealtyLink, the developer. But it wasn’t immediately clear this week if that will happen.
Those who had supported the revised plan, on the other hand, warned that rejecting it could affect funding for Oak Ridge and Anderson County governments and school systems by diminishing expected sales and property tax revenues, possibly in the range of several hundred thousand dollars. They worried about the impact on the city’s retail community, property tax values, and new housing developments. They called the project a “once in a generation” opportunity and said it could be a few decades before another similar proposal emerges.
It’s not clear what will happen next or if there is any solution that will be acceptable to both RealtyLink and the planning commissioners and City Council members who opposed the revised plan. On Tuesday, three people involved in the project, including RealtyLink, said there is no other design, no “plan B.”
“We’ve worked for six months to get to where we are,” said Neil Wilson, principal of RealtyLink in Greenville, South Carolina. “We didn’t get what we wanted, and they didn’t get what they wanted.”
He said the four national tenants were notified Tuesday that Council rejected the proposed changes to the planned unit development for Main Street Oak Ridge. The potential tenants will be notified if something changes. [Read more…]
Pictured above on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, are two new businesses at Main Street Oak Ridge: World Finance Loans & Taxes and The Spa Lounge Lash & Nail Studio. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
There are two more new businesses at Main Street Oak Ridge.
There are now a total of 11 new stores, restaurants, and businesses that have been announced and are either open or under construction at Main Street Oak Ridge, which is being developed by RealtyLink of South Carolina.
One of the new businesses, World Finance Loans & Taxes, was open earlier this month. The second, The Spa Lounge Lash & Nail Studio, didn’t appear to be complete as of January 5, although it’s not clear if that has changed.
Main Street Oak Ridge is the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall as a mixed-use development that could also include retailers, restaurants, and residential units. [Read more…]
An agreement signed Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, by the U.S. Department of Energy and City of Oak Ridge calls for the American Museum of Science and Energy missions to be relocated within about one year to 18,000 square feet of space in a two-story building that once housed a Sears Roebuck store next to JCPenney at Main Street Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Construction documents have been submitted to the City of Oak Ridge for the new museum at Main Street Oak Ridge, and the American Museum of Science and Energy will continue to be at its current location past the end of the year, municipal and federal officials said this week.
It’s not clear when AMSE might open at its new home at Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.
On Monday, John Shewairy, assistant manager for administration in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office, said the construction documents were also expected to be submitted to a contractor for pricing this week.
“We don’t yet have an estimated opening date for the museum in its new location because the construction schedule is still being finalized,” Shewairy said.
On Friday, Wayne Blasius, director of Oak Ridge Community Development, confirmed that the city has received the construction documents for the new museum at Main Street Oak Ridge. The construction documents for the new museum are now under staff review, Blasius said. It’s not clear how long that review might take. The submission of the documents is for a building permit, which does not require the approval of either the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission or Oak Ridge City Council. [Read more…]
maurices at Main Street Oak Ridge is pictured above in June 2017. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)
There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony for maurices, a women’s clothing store, at Main Street Oak Ridge on Friday, June 23. Here are a few photos and a video by the City of Oak Ridge.
The maurices store is one of eight new stores opening at Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall. The other seven stores are Dick’s Sporting Goods, Electronic Express, PetSmart, Rack Room Shoes, rue21, T.J. Maxx, and Ulta.
Oak Ridge Today has previously reported on the grand openings for Dick’s Sporting Goods and rue21. [Read more…]
Crews used a crane to lift the Dick’s Sporting Goods sign into place at Main Street Oak Ridge on Thursday afternoon, April 20, 2017. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
This story and photos are from the April 2017 City of Oak Ridge newsletter.
Another new store sign went up at Main Street Oak Ridge last week: Dick’s Sporting Goods. Crews used a crane to lift the sign into place (see video here) on the afternoon of Thursday, April 20, the City of Oak Ridge said in a newsletter.
This is the second sign to go up at Main Street Oak Ridge, the city said. The first was at T.J.Maxx. Crews installed a sign on both entrances for the store in late March. T.J.Maxx and Dick’s Sporting Goods are expected to be the first stores to open at Main Street Oak Ridge later in the spring or early summer.
Workers are also continuing to make progress on the buildings that will house six other new stores: four of them (Ulta, Rack Room Shoes, Rue 21, and Maurice’s) will be located next door to Belk. Construction on PetSmart and Electronic Express began in February. Crews are still working on the exterior of that building, which is located opposite of Belk. Preliminary and framing work on some additional retail space is also under way, the city said.
Vertical construction began earlier this year with the T.J.Maxx and Dick’s Sporting Goods complex near Walmart. [Read more…]
Construction work continues for new stores at Main Street Oak Ridge, the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall. This work on Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, is in the area that will house Dick’s Sporting Goods and T.J. Maxx, roughly in the area of the former Sears department store between Walmart and the U.S. Post Office. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Construction work continues for eight new stores at Main Street Oak Ridge, the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall.
Here are photos from the 58-acre project on Friday, February 10.
With the exception of Belk and JCPenney, the former mall has been demolished, and there has been significant progress on the sites where the new stores are being built.
RealtyLink, the development company, has previously said the eight new stores at Main Street Oak Ridge could be ready by late spring or summer. [Read more…]
This area near the intersection of Wilson Street and Rutgers Avenue, close to JCPenney, should be ready to turn over to the developer of a four-story, 81-room TownePlaces Suites hotel in the next few weeks, a RealtyLink executive said Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Eight new stores at Main Street Oak Ridge could be ready by late spring or summer, a development executive said Tuesday.
Rex Rice, project manager for RealtyLink, the development company, said the Dick’s Sporting Goods and T.J. Maxx stores should be ready for those retailers by late spring or summer, and six other stores—Electronic Express, Maurice’s, PetSmart, Rack Room Shoes, Rue 21, and Ulta—should be ready by summer.
Rice gave a brief project update during a Tuesday morning Rise and Shine event sponsored by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at TNBank.
Here are photos from the Tuesday morning update and from Main Street Oak Ridge on Tuesday. [Read more…]
Eight new stores at Main Street Oak Ridge could be ready by late spring or summer, a development executive said Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. This photo was taken from near Belk and the former Sears store, looking toward JCPenney. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Rex Rice, RealtyLink project manager (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Eight new stores at Main Street Oak Ridge could be ready by late spring or summer, a development executive said Tuesday.
Rex Rice, project manager for RealtyLink, the development company, said the Dick’s Sporting Goods and T.J. Maxx stores should be ready for those retailers by late spring or summer, and six other stores—Electronic Express, Maurice’s, PetSmart, Rack Room Shoes, Rue 21, and Ulta—should be ready by summer.
Rice gave a brief project update during a Tuesday morning Rise and Shine event sponsored by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at TNBank.
As expected, the demolition of the former Oak Ridge Mall was complete in about three months. Only Belk and JCPenney remain, and both are open.
“We tore down everything between them,” Rice said. That included the former Goody’s Family Clothing and Sears department stores.
Demolition cost about $1 million, Rice said. [Read more…]
