Construction Begins on Lowes Foods, CVS at Brunswick Forest

February 3, 2011
Brunswick Forest
Press Release from the Coastal South’s fastest growing community

 
WILMINGTON, NC, February 3, 2011 – Site preparation and other early construction work has begun on Lowes Foods and CVS/pharmacy stores at The Villages at Brunswick Forest, two anchor tenants representing approximately 55,000 sq. ft. of additional retail offerings at the Wilmington, NC community town center.

Developers are anticipating the opening of both stores sometime around the middle of 2012.

Work has already begun clearing and preparing ground for a parking lot and other infrastructure to support the approximately 42,000 sq. ft. Lowes Foods FreshSmart store, an 8,000 sq. ft. attachment for additional retail outlets and a standalone CVS/pharmacy of approximately 13,000 sq. ft.

The Villages at Brunswick Forest is a 160-acre complex that will be made up of more than 500,000 square feet of retail and professional establishments.  It is located at the entrance to Brunswick Forest on US Hwy 17 ten minutes south of Downtown Wilmington, NC, a 4,500-acre residential community offering homes, town homes and home sites with extensive community amenities.

Last year more homes and home sites sold in Brunswick Forest than at any time in the community’s four-year history.  According to the development’s closed sales records, 105 homes and 40 home sites for a total of 145 unit sales were recorded in 2010, representing a volume of more than $41 million.   More than 715 families now call the community home.

“We’re delighted to have both Lowes Foods and CVS/pharmacy join our existing tenants at The Villages,” said Alan Kerry, president of Lord Baltimore Properties, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lord Baltimore Capital Corporation and the sole developer of the community.  “They bring a major regional and national retail presence to The Villages, and will go far in serving the growing needs of the residents of Brunswick Forest and the greater Brunswick County area.”

Lowes Foods began in 1954 as a single store in North Wilkesboro, NC, and has grown to become a major supermarket chain operating in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia with more than 100 stores emphasising freshness, food quality and selection and customer service. According to Roger Henderson, vice president, real estate for Lowe’s Food Stores, Inc., introducing a Lowes FreshSmart store in The Villages makes perfect sense.

“We’ve done very well in Brunswick County,” said Henderson, “with successful stores in Southport, Shallotte, Ocean Isle Beach and Sunset Beach.  The Brunswick Forest community and Brunswick County is growing very quickly, and the Brunswick Forest developers are excellent professionals to work with.  We look forward to a very successful experience here.”

CVS/pharmacy has more than 7,000 CVS/pharmacy locations from coast to coast, offering prescription medications and related health care products.  In addition, the stores also offer popular beauty, health, and personal care brands as well as an assortment of other brands not available at other U.S. drugstores.

The Villages at Brunswick Forest 
The Villages at Brunswick Forest has been enjoying steadily growing occupancy by a variety of businesses drawn to the growing Brunswick Forest property owner base and to the growth of the Brunswick County area in general.

Last summer New Hanover Regional Medical Center (HNRMC) opened a 40,000 sq. ft. Health and Diagnostics building in The Villages, bringing physicians, technicians and other healthcare providers to serve Brunswick forest and area communities.  Most recently, Wilmington Health Associates, a multi-faceted medical practice that last summer moved into 5,000 square feet of office space in the New Hanover Regional Medical Center office building, now plans to double their existing space.

With a main campus in central Wilmington, NC, just opened is the Glen Meade Center for Women’s Health, which has nearly 2,000 square feet of additional practice space in the NHRMC office building and has begun seeing patients following several months of upfit work to install state-of-the-art medical equipment.

Also occupying the NHRMC medical office building are practices that include Atlantic Orthopedic, Morgan Internal Medicine and Urology Comprehensive Services.  In a standalone building, construction is nearing completion on the Brunswick Forest Veterinary Hospital, a 4,500 square foot, highly specialized facility that will represent one of the most advanced in the area.

Already located in The Villages is Port City Java, BB&T Financial Center, Blue Wave Dentistry and a Brunswick County Sherriff substation.  Announcements regarding the start of construction for other major shopping and lodging facilities is expected shortly.

Brunswick Forest is situated on 4,500 acres of woodlands, creeks, forests and natural areas.  Residents choose from a wide range of prices and lifestyle options, from low-maintenance luxury town homes to home sites and spacious custom homes. Secluded neighborhoods, each with its own distinctive character, are found throughout the community. Residents also enjoy a wide variety of amenities in place today, including an 18-hole Championship golf course at Cape Fear National®, an 18,000 square foot Fitness and Wellness Center, a Community Commons, a River Club, parks and natural areas and more than 100 miles of paths and trails.

Home sites begin at $75,000; homes start at the $200,000s.

For more information regarding The Villages at Brunswick Forest, contact Lannin Kerry, Brunswick Forest Property Management, at 910.341.4224.