Shelter Cove shopping center continues to take shape

The brick facade of the main entrance to the former Mall at Shelter Cove, shown Thursday, is all that is left of the central section of the mall, which is being demolished and converted into an indoor-outdoor shopping area.

JAY KARR Jay Karr Buy Photo

Construction continues on smaller shops flanking either side of the Kroger and Belk stores that anchor the new 42-acre, outdoor Shelter Cove Towne Centre, at the site of the former Mall at Shelter Cove.

A handful of tenants have committed to leasing space at the shopping center. They include Jos. A Bank and GNC, which are already at the mall. A SERG Group restaurant, Heritage Fine Jewelry and Jake's Wayback Burgers also have committed.

Mall manager Roni Allbritton said Friday more tenants will likely be announced in coming months, and construction of the 290,000-square-foot center remains on schedule for completion in late spring or early summer.

The Kroger grocery store opened Dec. 11, a month earlier than expected and has seen heavy traffic, she said. A final phase of the project will add 210 apartments east of the mall with views of Broad Creek, and a relocated 5-acre park will bisect the shopping center.

The Town of Hilton Head Island has agreed to split the park's cost -- expected to be about $4.5 million -- with the developers.

Plans for the park are still being completed, and construction is expected sometime next year, Allbritton said. No timeline has been finalized for the apartments, but work is likely to begin sometime near the end of 2014, with completion in 2015, Allbritton said.

The $76 million project is expected to generate 450 jobs and $5.1 million in annual sales-tax revenue, according to developer Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial.

"We've gotten phenomenal response from the community and have been very pleased with the feedback," Allbritton said. "This is a project that has been sorely needed on the island, and it's been exciting to see the progress that has been made."

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Shelter Cove shopping center continues to take shape