The developers of the expanded Epps Bridge Centre have postponed until some unspecified time in the future construction of the part of the project that was expected to include a Costco membership-only warehouse club.
In revised preliminary site plans submitted to the Oconee County Planning and Code Enforcement Department on July 31, Oconee 316 Associates LLC of Atlanta split development of Epps Bridge Centre II into two parts, labeled Phase 1 and 2.
Phase 1 includes three connected buildings totaling 105,176 square feet in space, a fourth stand-alone building of 7,500 square feet, and an outparcel without any buildings on it.
Permitting is going forward on Phase I of the project.
Phase 2 shows a building of 146,290 square feet, an out island that appears to be for a fueling station, and another building of 7,200 square feet of space.
Work on that part of the project has been put on hold.
Review Committee
The Oconee County Development Review Committee approved the revised Preliminary Site Plan dividing work on Epps Bridge Centre II into the two phases at its meeting on Aug. 18.
 |
| Epps Bridge Centre II Phase 2 On Left Phase 1 And Outlot On Right Intersection of Plaza Parkway/Oconee Connector Foreground |
I did not attend that meeting, but Deanna Ruark, DRC clerk, told me on Friday that no one from Oconee 316 Associates attended the meeting.
Ruark said that the developers had been told there were no significant questions about the modifications to the site plans.
In the earlier Preliminary Site Plan, all of Epps Bridge Centre II was to be developed at the same time.
Grading on both Phase I and Phase II of Epps Bridge Centre II has been completed.
Epps Centre III
Epps Bridge Centre II fronts on the Oconee Connector between Plaza Parkway and Parkway Boulevard, opposite the existing Epps Bridge Centre.
Epps Bridge Centre III, to be developed at some point in the future, also fronts on the Oconee Connector just east of Parkway Boulevard.
The part of Epps Bridge Centre II that is now being called Phase 1 is 15.4 acres.
The part of Epps Bridge Centre II that has been discussed as a future home of Costco is 21.4 acres and is at the corner of Plaza Parkway and Parkway Boulevard.
Epps Bridge Centre III is 11.0 acres.
The county paid for and extended Parkway Boulevard from its earlier terminus near Kohl’s to the Oconee Connector to accommodate the development of Epps Bridge Centre II and III.
Costco has never been publicly linked to the project, but guarded, indirect references to Costco as a possible tenant are common.
Video
At my request, Chris Greer, who lives in Lake Wellbrook subdivision, has made photos and videos with his drone of Parkway Boulevard and the surrounding area as construction has progressed.
I have used those photos and videos on Oconee County Observations. The post of April 30 contains that work.
I asked Greer on Friday if he would fly his drone again.
He shot the picture above and the video below this morning.
The Tour
As the video begins, Plaza Boulevard is on the left, the Oconee Connector is at the center, and Parkway Boulevard is on the right.
The video travels down Parkway Boulevard from the Oconee Connector to Kohl’s.
At the beginning, the site that has been discussed for Costco is on the left, and the part of Epps Bridge Centre II that is going forward immediately is in the center.
Epps Bridge Centre III is in the ungraded area to the right at the intersection of Parkway Boulevard and the Oconee Connector.
OCO: Parkway Boulevard Drone Tour 8 27 2017 from Lee Becker on Vimeo.
2 comments:
Will be interesting to see how this progresses. The Wall Street Journal had an article recently on the decline of such shopping areas with the rise of internet shopping. Kohl's is one of the stores heavily impacted.
Zippity is correct in questioning the timing.
Small-item selling will clearly be heavily by internet ordering.
Big-box and large-volume buying will probably remain done from stores.
When Canada finally decided to build its first refinery in decades, the price of gasoline and diesel fuel was nearly twice what it is now.
Now that the refinery is about to be on line, the numbers aren't so hot.
The County decided to fund this road benefitting only the sellers.
A similar timing story.
And another use of the tax dollars of the entire county to the south of GA 316. Since the beneficial impact of the gobs of sales taxes being levied is to us the county is a mystery, it is pretty clear where the attention has been.
Gee, think there might be some attention given to millage rates on the zooming assessed values of the property-tax paying public?
Post a Comment