22 September . 2016
Commercial Development Coming to Wendell Falls
Johnny Whitfield
News & Observer
WENDELL
After more than a year of homebuilding in eastern Wake County’s largest development project, company officials say they are ready to start working on some of the commercial sections of Wendell Falls.
Representatives with Newland Communities met with members of Wendell’s planning staff late last month to begin the process of subdividing lots that will be home to the first new businesses in the development.
Newland officials declined to identify the companies that will locate on the site, citing ongoing contractual negotiations, but they expect the first portion of the development to be a medical office park and they’ve referred to that section of the property as a medical gateway. The developer of that project and the anchor tenant are expected to be identified in the last quarter of 2016. Project manager Brad Rhinehalt said it would likely be the end of the year before those companies are made public.
“We’re still working with them and they’ve got to do their due diligence before we wrap it up and we wouldn’t want to do anything that would cause any delays in that,” Rhinehalt said.
The plan proposed by Newland to town officials calls for cutting a 12-acre tract of land into six lots, each roughly two acres. One of those lots, Town Manager Teresa Piner said, is not suitable for development and will most likely be used for stormwater collection.
Newland officials expect to build about 100,000 square feet of commercial capacity in the gateway area. The first building will be a two-story structure covering about 30,000 square feet that will provide a mixture of medical services including both primary and specialty care. Construction of that building is slated for completion in the third quarter of 2017.
The land Newland is looking to subdivide would be off the proposed Wendell Valley Boulevard, which would run from Wendell Falls Parkway near the U.S. 264 Bypass north to Eagle Rock Road. Piner said it was unlikely the developers would extend the road all the way to Eagle Rock Road during the initial phases of that development.
Newland also expects to announce plans during the fourth quarter of 2016 about construction of a convenience store that will be located near the intersection of Wendell Falls Parkway and U.S. 264 Bypass. The company has also started permitting other commercial lots along Taylor Road, which will provide access to parcels on the east side of Wendell Falls Parkway.