Mint Hill NC Plans for Growth around Bridges of Mint Hill Mall
Mint Hill NC Plans for Growth around Bridges of Mint Hill Mall
The Town of Mint Hill held a three-day charrette this week to get input from residents about how they would like to see the area around the Bridges of Mint Hill develop. Interested citizens were invited to stop by Town Hall from 9am to 6pm each day to discuss preliminary concepts for the area. At 6pm each day, planners summarized the day’s comments and produced a map showing conceptual options.
The Bridges of Mint Hill study area and final conceptual map is shown here. The study area encompasses an area from Fairview Road to the north to Lawyers Road to the south. The area is bisected by I-485 and includes areas to the east of I-485 along Allen Black Road and west along Thompson Road. The Bridges of Mint Hill mall is identified with red buildings in the lower part of the map.
On the conceptual map, a broad green swath clearly shows citizen preferences for preservation of sensitive areas and greenway development. The plan proposes a greenway from the town’s Fairview Park in the north through the Bridges of Mint Hill property and on to the Stevens Nature Preserve in the south. This plan would set aside areas between I-485 and Allen Black Road for business parks and institutional uses.
A key question is what will happen with the proposed Bridges of Mint Hill mall. Land was cleared for the mall two years ago but development stopped when one of the mall developers filed for bankruptcy. Originally the mall was supposed to have over a million square feet of retail development, including restaurants and a movie theater. According to the town planner, a representative for the mall attended the charrette and discussed the changes that will be required by the current economic environment. The mall will be different now with approximately 800,000 square feet of space. Construction is still planned to start within the next few years.
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Copyright 2010. Carol Fox. Allen Tate Realtors. *Mint Hill NC Plans for Growth around Bridges of Mint Hill Mall*