• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds


 










Main Street Oak Ridge signs first anchor lease, other leases could follow

Posted at 7:20 pm March 26, 2015
By John Huotari 5 Comments

Main Street Oak Ridge

Main Street Oak Ridge would redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall as a mixed-use project that could include retailers, restaurants, residential units, and possibly a hotel. The existing space between the two remaining anchors, Belk and JCPenney, would be demolished, although those two stores would remain.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:15 a.m. March 27.

The developers who want to convert the former Oak Ridge Mall into Main Street Oak Ridge signed their first anchor store lease last week, an executive said Thursday.

And three to five more leases could be signed in the next month or so, said Tim Sittema of Crosland Southeast, the North Carolina company that has proposed the roughly 60-acre redevelopment.

Main Street Oak Ridge would redevelop the mall as a mixed-use project that would include retailers, restaurants, residential units, and possibly a hotel. The existing space between the two remaining anchors, Belk and JCPenney, would be demolished, although those two stores would remain.

Advertisement

Sittema said an anchor store is a large retailer of 20,000 square feet or more that attracts other stores. Main Street Oak Ridge could include three anchors besides Belk and JCPenney, although the new retailers will probably be in smaller spaces than the two existing stores.

The name of the new anchor has not been released yet. Crosland Southeast has previously said that tenants at Main Street Oak Ridge determine when to make their announcements. (Oak Ridge Today will publish any announcement we get as soon as we get it.)

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission unanimously recommended a rezoning for Main Street Oak Ridge on Thursday, and members also unanimously recommended a planned unit development, or PUD, master plan for the project.

“Our work is not yet finished, but this is a significant step along the way,” Sittema told planning commissioners.

Commissioners approved a variance that allows buildings up to 90 feet high. That will allow multi-floor residential units and the hotel. Some of the buildings could be up to five stories, Oak Ridge Community Development Director Kathryn Baldwin said.

Tim Sittema

Tim Sittema

Sittema said Main Street Oak Ridge will include one building with retail on the first floor and residential units above, and there will be additional three- to four-floor residential buildings.

Main Street Oak Ridge will include a total of about 325,000 square feet of retail space, or about 200,000 square feet of retail space more than what Belk and JCPenney have now. It could have 153 residential units, including the spaces for rent above retail outlets.

The rezoning and PUD master plan, which will serve as a blueprint for the development, will be considered by the Oak Ridge City Council on first and second reading in April, with the first meeting scheduled for April 13.

Crosland Southeast hopes to close on the property this summer, begin demolition and construction at about the same time, and have Main Street Oak Ridge open in the fall of 2016.

Sittema said the Manhattan Project National Historical Park helps the whole community, including Main Street Oak Ridge.

Advertisement

“I think that it is a fantastic contribution,” Sittema said.

The park is being developed in Oak Ridge; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington. It would tell the story of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.

National Park Service and U.S. Department of Energy officials were in Oak Ridge this week to start planning for the new park. Their visit included a Thursday morning open house at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

Although the park is still early in the planning process, local officials have proposed that a park hub in Oak Ridge be located in the area of the Municipal Building, Civic Center, Public Library, and American Museum of Science and Energy. If that happens, it would be right across the street from Main Street Oak Ridge.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Filed Under: Business, Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Belk, construction, Crosland Southeast, demolition, JCPenney, lease, Main Street—Oak Ridge, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, master plan, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Mall, Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, planned unit development, PUD, redevelopment, rezoning, Tim Sittema

Advertisements



 

Join the club!

If you haven't already, please consider subscribing to Oak Ridge Today. You don't have to subscribe to read most of our stories, but your subscription does provide benefits, including access to premium content. And it will help us cover local news for you day and night, as best we can. You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month. You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers:

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Business News

Close to 100 entries registered for Christmas Parade on Saturday

Close to 100 entries registered for Christmas Parade on Saturday

  Almost 100 organizations and individuals have already registered to be a part of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 14. This year’s theme is “Christmas Around the World,” … [Read More...]

Karen’s Jewelers has open house Thursday

Karen’s Jewelers has open house Thursday

Karen's Jewelers has an open house today (Thursday, December 5) from 4 to 7:30 p.m. During the open house, Karen's Jewelers said you can see all the newest jewelry fashions and enjoy some special treats. Karen's … [Read More...]

Leadership Oak Ridge provides outdoor seating area at AMSE

Leadership Oak Ridge provides outdoor seating area at AMSE

    Information from Kathy Gillenwaters and Amanda Meixel Kinghorn Members of the Leadership Oak Ridge program recently finished a project that provides enhancements to the American Museum of Science and Energy. The … [Read More...]

Call center relocates to Oak Ridge

Call center relocates to Oak Ridge

  Avant LLC recently announced that the company has completed the relocation of its call center operations from nearby Louisville to Commerce Park in Oak Ridge. This completes a year-long series of planning discussions … [Read More...]

Celebrate—or take a break from—the holidays with Dine and Donate!

Celebrate—or take a break from—the holidays with Dine and Donate!

  The holiday season is in full force! Black Friday is over, and Cyber Monday has come and gone—but the blizzard of holiday activities won’t be over for a few more weeks. On Monday, December 9, rest your feet and enjoy … [Read More...]

More Business

More Government News

Want to serve on city board or commission? Applications are available

Want to serve on city board or commission? Applications are available

As part of Oak Ridge’s end-of-year election, the City Clerk’s Office is accepting applications from citizens who wish to serve on a board or commission. The submission deadline is Friday, January 24, 2020, at 5 … [Read More...]

Power outages planned in west Oak Ridge on Saturday

Power outages planned in west Oak Ridge on Saturday

Oak Ridge electrical infrastructure (Submitted photo) The Oak Ridge Electric Department is advising customers in far west Oak Ridge of two planned power outages set for Saturday, December 7. The first outage is … [Read More...]

City’s leaf pickup program under way

City’s leaf pickup program under way

The City of Oak Ridge's leaf pickup program for 2019 began on Monday, November 25. It is coordinated by Waste Connections of Tennessee. Collection efforts will follow the proposed schedule as closely as possible, a press … [Read More...]

Clinch Avenue needs repairs near bridge after heavy rains

Clinch Avenue needs repairs near bridge after heavy rains

Clinch Avenue in Clinton will require repairs after heavy rains on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, caused the road bed to fail in the northbound lanes just north of the Lewallen Bridge, according to the Clinton Police … [Read More...]

Reservations now open for ‘Breakfast with Santa’

Reservations now open for ‘Breakfast with Santa’

The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board is hosting a “Breakfast with Santa” on Saturday, December 7. The event will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is located at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The … [Read More...]

More Government

Recent Posts

  • Close to 100 entries registered for Christmas Parade on Saturday
  • Oak Ridge Schools delayed two hours
  • Want to serve on city board or commission? Applications are available
  • Obituary: Verner Anderson
  • Karen’s Jewelers has open house Thursday
  • Power outages planned in west Oak Ridge on Saturday
  • O’Kegley, Santa to conduct Oak Ridge Chorus on Saturday
  • Christmas Tree Lighting is Friday in Oak Ridge
  • Leadership Oak Ridge provides outdoor seating area at AMSE
  • Call center relocates to Oak Ridge

Recent Comments

  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Tracy Powers on Planning Commission to consider Main Street apartments, plan revisions
  • johnhuotari on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • Levi D. Smith on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • samuel hopwood on Housing: Apartments proposed on former AMSE site
  • Matt Bailey on Robin Smith named Oak Ridge police chief

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2019 Oak Ridge Today