Why did Keagy Village Become a Flop? (Roanoke, Salem: apartments, condos)

[roanoker 4]

With over five years of uncertainty about this retail development I think the citizens of Roanoke County deserve an explanation of what went wrong at Keagy Village. There have been news reports of 4 national chain restaurants, a Starbucks, Scottrade, Baja Bistro, an anchor store(for what?), numerous offices, etc. The latest news indicates only a Bone Fish Grill, no Starbucks now, maybe a Baja Bistro, maybe an "upscale" grocer at some future date.
I think Kahn Development and Roanoke County blew this one BIG time, but it still doesn't equal the fiasco of Slate Hill!!

[seanpecor]

Uh, Slate Hill is moving forward at exactly the pace that should be expected considering the complexity of scheduling massive development contracts particularly when zoning approvals are delayed ad nauseum. At the moment, grading work continues on Slate Hill and the next phase of the project is well underway. It can't be compared to Keagy Village which was a mistake from the start.

The Keagy Village _location_ was the problem from the beginning. If you look at population growth, it began to shift away from the Salem side of the valley years ago. The fastest growing region with the Roanoke metro is by far Franklin County. Most of FC does business near the Tanglewood area. That is precisely why Slate Hill will do very well. Every well kept store and restaurant near Route 220 is very, very busy. To me that suggests strongly a need for more supply to meet demand. Slate Hill is positioned perfectly to meet that growing demand.

Sean

[casasearch]

What! Did I hear we are getting a Bone Fish? Are you serious? That restaurant is the JAM up in NoVA.

[roanoker 4]

I have noticed they are grading the Hill for something, but there is no word
yet on what the surprise will be. A hotel, upscale shops, A Nordstrom department store, Bass Pro Shop, another nursing home? It just gets stranger as time goes on.........................Does anyone know? Just curious.

[headnsouth]

Can you clarify the Slate Hill development for me? A bit of googling tells me it's owned/being developed by a company that is primarily a developer of retirement communities --- but Slate Hill is to be a retail/office center? Will there be a retirement community there as well? Is Pheasant Ridge right next to Slate Hill? Will there be access to Slate Hill directly from Electric Rd. or just off 220?

Now I wish I had driven down 220 a bit when I was there. There are also retirement apts across from Tanglewood Mall, IIRC. I wonder if they are connected as well.

I'm very curious about this as it looks like a comprehensive retirement community and I could do a fair amount of business in a setting like that.

I'd appreciate any thoughts you guys have. Thanks.

[roanoker 4]

Living in the Roanoke Valley, it is almost impossible to get accurate(if any) information on this development. A few YEARS ago a local TV station did a story on this site and they promised they would keep the public informed. Of course, hush is the word. Roanoke County recently had meetings with the developer of Slate Hill(who is always out of the country)and is involved with retirement communities but very little is still known. We are now seeing "grading" up there but STILL no plans announced or confirmed. I think
the original proposal for retail, but I find that hard to believe. Another retirement home/condo type development might work but maybe in 25 years!!
In the meantime, the trees are gone and weeds and trash are covering the most highly visible site in the valley. An eyesore of the worst magnitude!!

[PaperTrail]

The Roanoke Times did a story about the progress of the site as recently as February:

Construction resumes at Slate Hill - Roanoke.com

[seanpecor]

I'm not certain but I think that Explore Park and the Slate Hill development are getting mixed up in this thread. The entrepreneur heavily involved with developing retirement communities is leading the Explore Park project. The Slate Hill project is being developed by another group.

Here is the original site plan from 2004 for Slate Hill. Looking at it now, it's clear there have been some changes from this original design. For starters, the 419 entrance is not going to be so close to the 220/581 interchange. VDOT said NO for safety reasons. So the developer bought the lighting store next to Wendy's across from Tanglewood, leveled the building, and is currently excavating the VDOT approved 419 entrance. I think this is a great access location because there is already a light at this location and it will be easy to hop between Tanglewood and Slate Hill.



headnsouth, Slate Hill will have two access points. One is going to be off 419 as described above. Another is going to be off 220 from the existing Lowes / Play it Again Sports / Storage Center access road. Which just so happens to be directly across from the brand new Home Depot anchored development that already has a new Starbucks and a third retail entity currently in the latter stages of development. Which I should also mention is next to the Wal-Mart anchored retail park that is poised for major renovations. The existing Wal-Mart is going to be replaced by a Target and other spaces in that retail park will be renovated and becomes homes for new retail outlets. A Super Wal-Mart is in the works about 1/2 miles further south on Route 220 on a +/- 40 acre piece of land, adjoining the Hammersley Benz/BMW/Porsche/Land Rover/Volvo/Jaguar dealership.

As far as retirement communities go, there is currently Pheasant Ridge (sp?). It specializes in assisted care, with an emphasis on folks with Alzheimers and dementia. But literally in Slate Hill's backyard, accessible from 419 is Elm Park Estates. Elm Park is an independent living apartment community. I think there are about 100 units in Elm Park.

This area is pretty heavy with condo communities for young professionals and small families as well. There are swaths of condos inside the massive Hunting Hills golf course community adjoining Slate Hill, in addition to the Summit (?) apartments across the road that adjoin Pheasant Ridge (?). That growth and the previously mentioned growth further south on 220 in Franklin County seem to be the driving force for all this development.

Sean

[roanoker 4]

Good News that a Target is planned at the WalMart site! Now if we could get a Costco, Kohls, Nordstrom, Williams Sonoma, Coldwater Creek, Cache, Bebe,
Sephora, Chilis, Moes SW Grill, Mimis Cafe, Romanos, Whole Foods, etc etc Roanoke would be a nice place to shop!! Oh well, maybe in 25 years anyway!!
Lets hope more discount stores are not planned for the 220So corridor like Wally World!!

[headnsouth]

Originally Posted by seanpecor

I'm not certain but I think that Explore Park and the Slate Hill development are getting mixed up in this thread. The entrepreneur heavily involved with developing retirement communities is leading the Explore Park project. The Slate Hill project is being developed by another group.

I've taken a second look now -- it looks like they're both involved in retirement communities, which makes sense since it's a big growth industry.

Explore Park = Larry Vander Maten = Rosewood Care Centers retirement communities

Slate Hill = Jim Smith (Smith/Packett) = Pheasant Ridge & other retirement communities

So Jim Smith has hit a few roadblocks in his Slate Hill development, and according to wiki Larry Vander Maten has not had the greatest success with his Explore Park development. Both are obviously successful with their main business though so it's probably just growing pains.

Thanks for all the info.

Originally Posted by roanoker4

Good News that a Target is planned at the WalMart site! Now if we could get a Costco, Kohls, Nordstrom, Williams Sonoma, Coldwater Creek, Cache, Bebe,
Sephora, Chilis, Moes SW Grill, Mimis Cafe, Romanos, Whole Foods, etc etc Roanoke would be a nice place to shop!!

Well, as long as we're making requests, I'll take Baja Fresh or Chipotle over Moe's. Just personal preference. A farmer's market at one end of the parking lot or another would be nice too, unless there's already one in the neighborhood?

Oh, and my son would like a skatepark. =)