Chain Store Age - July 2009

Moving Mountains

To complete Canton Marketplace, developer battled topography and the environment

By Katherine Field

The retaining walls on the rugged, 100-acre site measure up to 40 ft. tall, and some are close to 1,000 ft. long. Parts of the wall feature complicated two-tiered wall construction.

In March and April 2009, the site was ready for tenant move-in. Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Dick’s, Kohl’s and Lowe’s have been joined by OfficeMax, PetSmart, SuperTarget, T.J. Maxx, Ulta, Rack Room, Off Broadway, Kirkland’s and Books-A-Million. Smaller retailers include Cheeseburger Bobby’s, GameStop, Subway and Rue 21; outparcels are occupied by Chick-fil-A, Olive Garden and Sun Trust Bank.

In Sembler Co.’s recent war against nature, both won. To deliver to a fast-growing suburb of Atlanta the shopping hub it needed, the Atlanta-based devel- oper faced environmental issues and topographical challenges that threatened the ground-up project’s timetable more than once.

In the end, Canton, Ga., got the 800,000-sq.-ft. Canton Marketplace, and Sembler managed to protect critical habitat areas and reduce the impact of construction on the surrounding environment.

“The environmental agencies pay special attention to the Etowah river basin here in north Georgia due to its ecological value,” Jeff Fuqua, Sembler’s president, explained. “We therefore went through an extensive permitting process and worked closely with the agencies to ensure that we addressed their needs.”

Impacts to streams on the site were reduced by 25%, and Sembler implemented advanced erosion and sediment control measures during construction as well as conducted extensive biological monitoring of affected streams on the site.

Beyond the environmental issues, Sembler was challenged by topographical obstacles that included moving a mountain of dirt. “In order to address access and visibility issues, the grading plan called for cuts and fills of up to 100 feet,” said Fuqua. “We moved 2. 4 million cubic yards of dirt, blasted 700,000 cubic yards of rock and built 65,000 sq. ft. of retaining walls to accomplish this.”

Canton Marketplace

Location: Canton (Atlanta), Ga. (southeast corner of Interstate 575 and Cumming Highway [SR- 20])

Size: 800,000 sq. ft.

Developer: Sembler Co.

Major tenants: Target, Kohl’s, Lowe’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, T.J. Maxx, Off Broadway, Books-A-Million, Office Max, PetSmart Status: Open for business

“We’re happy that we were able to work with a group of tenants that recognized the potential of this underserved growing market, and we believe that they are now seeing the positive sales to support that vision,” said Fuqua.

Canton Marketplace is part of Canton Place, a 415-acre, mixed-use development, which upon completion will feature a residential component, office space and Northside Hospital-Cherokee. ■