By Hugh Fisher
hfisher@salisburypost.com
KANNAPOLIS ó All roads lead to Kellswater Bridge.
A new stretch of Rogers Lake Road opening Thursday will connect the 400-acre mixed-use development with the heart of Kannapolis.
And the year to come will bring major growth to the site.
Tuesday, Kellswater Bridge Development and Merrifield Partners announced a slate of expansions at the complex.
Branching out from their single-family development, the Village at Kellswater Bridge, the Kellswater Commons commercial retail center will begin construction late this year.
Managing partner George Kiser said the development will bring new variety and an upscale atmosphere to the area.
“They will be able to find many options much closer,” Kiser said.
Kiser said the emphasis will be on providing variety that does not exist in that part of Kannapolis at this time.
“Today, there are only two grocery stores on the west side of Kannapolis and very little retail,” Kiser said.
During the first quarter of 2009, construction will begin at Integra Springs ó a 312-unit gated luxury apartment complex with self-contained amenities, including a pool and clubhouse.
The community will complement nearby luxury single-family housing.
And Kiser doesn’t expect current housing woes to affect the new apartments.
“Typically when single family demand decreases, demand for apartments increases,” he said. “… With the anticipated growth of the North Carolina Research Campus, we expect a lot of demand for very nice rentals.”
A child-care and learning center with a capacity of 200 children is slated for construction in 2009 in the Kellswater Town Center.
Plans call for the child-care center to open early in 2010.
Construction of a new business complex, the Cleary Professional Office Building in the forthcoming Kellswater Town Center, is set to begin in 2009.
Kiser said the new residential, office and retail facilities will be “as nice as anything you will see anywhere.”
The announcement of these new developments was originally slated for last Saturday.
A fun run was planned to open the new Rogers Lake Road extension, constructed as a joint project between Kellswater’s developers and the city of Kannapolis.
The new Rogers Lake Road runs from Dale Earnhardt Boulevard in the center of the city to Kannapolis Parkway at Kellswater Bridge.
Fears over Tropical Storm Hanna caused last weekend’s opening event to be called off. The road is scheduled to open to traffic Thursday.
Kiser said the new route should draw more traffic to the area.
“We’ve been flying kind of under the radar out here,” Kiser said. “It’s time.”
And he praised the city for their help in making the new road a reality.
Kannapolis Mayor Robert Misenheimer said the new road would have a major impact on the area.
“This road is going to be a lifesaver,” Misenheimer said of the new route. “It’s going to cut down on a lot of travel time.”
He also expressed hope that the road would generate more retail and business growth in the western part of the city.
Acknowledging that there had been opposition to development of the area in the past, Misenheimer said he is a firm supporter of the economic benefits that such growth would bring to the city at large.
“I think they’re excellent people, and we look forward to a great relationship with them,” he said of the Kellswater partners.