Is Wilmington actually getting another Target? Maybe, but officials mum on details
The Monkey Junction area looks to be getting a new major retailer.
There are plans to bring a nearly 150,000-square-foot retail building to the shopping center at the intersection of Carolina Beach and Piner Roads in Monkey Junction. While it’s been rumored Target is eyeing the site for its second Wilmington location, the Minneapolis-based company did not respond to multiple StarNews calls and emails seeking confirmation.
The new retailer is slated for the Village at Myrtle Grove, a shopping center that’s home to a wide range of national chains and locally owned stores and restaurants, including Home Depot, Sawmill Restaurant, Celtic Monkey, Buffalo Wild Wings and Staples.
More:Wilmington's only Target to expand: seeking to make shopping 'easier and safer'
More:Wilmington's oldest shopping center is undergoing a transformation. Here's what to expect.
A big retailer is coming
Big V Property Group, the Florida-based company that owns the shopping center, submitted plans last fall to build a 149,214-square-foot retail building at 5613 Carolina Beach Road.
The store is planned for 11.5 acres of undeveloped land alongside existing office store Staples. The land is zoned for business development and is considered an area of future development within the shopping center. The plans were first reviewed by New Hanover County’s technical review committee in October.
In an email to the StarNews, Greg Dobur, vice president of development with Big V Property Group, wrote the company has “no comment to provide” on the possibility of Target locating in the proposed retail building.
The new retail building will take up some space currently used by Staples, reducing the size of the existing store. The planned structure has a height of 35 feet, two front entrances and 413 parking spaces.
In-demand in Wilmington
Target’s first and only Wilmington store opened more than 25 years ago at 4711 New Centre Drive. The company submitted plans to expand that store last year.
The expansion would add more than 23,000 square feet to the 124,122-square-foot store. It would also add more space at the front of the store and a new entrance.
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A growing retail center
If Target locates in the planned retail building, it will join the shopping center’s anchor Staples and shadow-anchor Home Depot. Marketing documents for the shopping center identify the site of the proposed retail building as a “build to suit opportunity” with up to 99,000 square feet available.
The company’s filing with the technical review committee shows areas along Carolina Beach Road are slated for “future development,” showing the potential for more retail growth in the area.
More than 48,000 people live within a three-mile radius of the shopping center and more than 78,000 live in a five-mile radius, according to marketing documents from the company. The southern stretch of Carolina Beach Road has continued to see an uptick in apartments and other residential development in recent months.
Reporter Emma Dill can be reached at edill@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Is Wilmington getting a second Target?
