Willy’s Mexicana Grill, Eyemart coming to Columbus Park Crossing area
The retail and restaurant juggernaut known as Columbus Park Crossing continues to get bigger and bigger, bite by bite.
Columbus-based Adams Brokerage Co., which has been constructing pieces of the large development at the intersection of J.R. Allen and Veterans parkways, is preparing for another small center on Whittlesey Boulevard.
Already signed is Willy’s Mexicana Grill and Eyemart, said Wes Lewis, senior vice president and asset manager with Adams Brokerage, with the new structure going next to one that now has Panda Express, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Total Nutrition.
“Construction will start, hopefully, in November. We’ve already moved some dirt over there,” he said. “Basically, it takes about nine months by the time we move dirt to get everybody in and start working (on the interiors). Depending on how long it takes the tenant to build out their space, it could take a year to open. But we’re thinking nine months.”
That puts the likely timing of the new commercial center’s debut sometime next summer. It will join another Adams Brokerage property that includes Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Zoe’s Kitchen and Big Dog Running Company.
Eyemart is a growing vision chain doing business in more than 30 states, offering eye exams and designer frames.
Willy’s Mexicana Grill is an Atlanta-based chain with 25 outlets, most in metro Atlanta, with one as far south as Peachtree City, and another in Athens, Ga.
“Every Willy’s has its own distinct personality, with some featuring weekly trivia, outdoor patios and more,” says the two-decade-old eatery’s website. “If you build it, they will eat burritos.”
Lewis said there are three storefronts in the new center being constructed. Eyemart will take 3,038 square feet, while Willy’s Mexicana Grill will fill 2,232 square feet.
“We have a signed LOI (letter of intent) with a tenant to take the middle bay, which is 1,240 square feet, but they’ve not signed the lease,” he said. “The other leases are fully executed.”
Adams Brokerage has constructed a string of strip shopping centers in the Columbus Park area, including one anchored by Verizon Wireless, Bonefish Grill and Visionworks on Veterans Parkway.
It most recently has been working on an 8-acre property at 6301 Veterans Parkway, across from Northside Medical Center, with German grocery retailer ALDI set to open its doors there Nov. 5.
The 68,962-square-foot center also is to include a Harbor Freight Tools store, with about 30,000 square feet of space left for a major retailer or two, along with a 5,500-square-foot outparcel for a yet-to-be-signed restaurant.
The company also is still working to bring a strip shopping center to fruition across from the Lowe’s home improvement store on Veterans Parkway, with an additional 35 acres adjacent to that property possibly available for development.
“We’re trying to build a bridge to go across the railroad track to get access to the 35 acres,” Lewis said. “Our civil engineer has gotten comments back from the railroad and we’re supposed to meet later this month with the civil engineer and kind of see where that project is."
Aside from railroad approval, that development naturally would also involve city of Columbus planners and the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Adams Brokerage also has a 62-acre tract of land near the large Columbus Park strip center anchored by Kohl’s and Dick’s Sporting Goods, which the company plans to develop at some point.
This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Willy’s Mexicana Grill, Eyemart coming to Columbus Park Crossing area ."