Last Updated on 12/1/2008

Published on 6/3/2008

By Clayton Stairs

cstairs@gtowntimes.com

Lowe's? No, Lowes Foods.

That will most likely begin many conversations about the planned South Causeway development in the coming months.

On the same 19-acre parcel of land which once sparked the "Don't Box the Neck" debate in the Pawleys Island community when Lowe's Home Improvement expressed interest in building there, soon there will be a Lowes Foods, which is the anchor store for a planned development. Clearing of underbrush and pine trees has already begun on the site.

However, instead of the footprint of 169,000-square-feet required for a Lowe's Home Improvement Center, the Lowes Foods store will only be 43,000-square-feet, which is less than the 60,000-square-feet approved by Georgetown County. Approximately 10 to 12 other buildings will be created to accommodate various businesses, not specified as of yet, according to Steve Strickland, president and CEO of Earthworks Design Firm of Murrells Inlet, which is in charge of designs for the project.

Property owner Peggy Wheeler-Cribb says that Lowes Foods was one of the first grocery store chains she talked to when her family bought the property two years ago. The grocery store officials recently got back in touch with her and negotiations began.

"We still have a few things to work out, but we expect construction on the anchor grocery store to begin the first of the year or thereabouts," Wheeler Cribb said. "I like Lowes Foods because it is an upscale grocery store and it is unlike other stores in this area."

She says that many people have expressed interest about the property, especially since bull dozers have appeared in the last two weeks.

"I have received lots of phone calls and e-mails from people who rode by and saw it being cleared," Wheeler Cribb said. "They stated how pretty it looks with all of the beautiful oak trees that now have room to grow."

Site plans

Wheeler Cribb has been working with Earthworks and Georgetown County officials to design an aesthetically pleasing, functional shopping center. Strickland says that it will be a place where people can come and spend the day, comparable to the Mingo Shopping Center in Litchfield or The Hammock Shops Village in Pawleys Island.

Right now, Strickland says they are clearing underbrush and pine trees to make way for roads, sewerage and storm water systems.

"We currently have permits in place to put in the spine road from Tyson Drive through the property and tie back into the South Causeway," Strickland said. "We will be putting in the utilities, sewerage and drainage channels to get set up for the different out-parcels."

He says at this point, the plan for the land is flexible. In addition to the Lowes Foods, this shopping center will offer restaurants, banks and retailers. There may also be a hotel on one of three out-parcels which could accommodate a 20,000 to 25,000-square-foot building, Strickland said.

"We are trying to plan it with as much flexibility as we can, so out-parcels will have good circulation and everyone will benefit from the traffic design," Strickland said. "The last thing we want to do is make it a traffic nightmare. The easier it is for traffic, the better it will be for these businesses and for the community."

Trees and stormwater

One of the main objectives of this planned development has always been to save as many of the large Live Oaks on the property as possible, Strickland says. Several of these are located on the north end of the property. However, many small oaks have been saved on the perimeter because without all of the larger pines around them, they will now have room to grow to become large, beautiful trees in the future.

"To save the large trees on the north end of the parcel, we will fit the buildings around them," Strickland said. "By having the major entry lined up with Tyson Road, we have the ability to keep a lot more trees and keep the aesthetics the way we want it to look. Having internal roads, so all of the out-parcels tie into each other, it also makes it lot safer."

Plans to manage stormwater on the property include the use of some pervious pavement, vegetative buffers, retention ponds and drainage systems for overflow. They estimate that these systems will be complete by the fall.

"The goal is to have a low impact technique for what is called the first flush," Strickland said.

He explains that the first flush is for the majority of rain events (90 percent), which are two inches or less. This is the rainwater which contains oil and grease from parking lots and should be absorbed into the ground to be naturally filtered.

The retention pond will be used for rain events in which the ground is saturated to the point that it will not absorb the water. In these cases, water will be directed through the drainage system into the ponds.

Strickland says that like the Mingo Shopping Complex in Litchfield, the South Causeway shopping center will use the storm water ponds as lakes to provide waterfront dining and shopping areas.

"We are very concerned with water quality," Strickland said. "However, we are also planning for water quantity."