' Project: North Town Point.
' Location: Highway 153 and O Henry Drive in Hixson.
' Developer: Anchor Commercial Development Co. in Dayton, Tenn.
' Project size: The retail center will include a 12,000-square-foot building and a 9,000-square-foot building on 3 acres.
' Site preparation: Scott Hale, owner of Anchor Commercial Development, has developed more than a dozen retail centers in Tennessee and was eager to enter the Chattanooga market with his first commercial project. The hill on the side of the 3-acre parcel on Highway 153 proved daunting for most developers, but Hale decided last year to take it on. "We did not expect this hill to be 80 percent rock. It was extremely hard, so it took us a lot longer than we expected," he said. "It's been an uphill battle, but this is a great site and we're anxious to get started building soon. This is our first project in Chattanooga and we hope to build many more." Hales estimates he removed nearly 4,000 truckloads of rock to level the site along Highway 153.
' Tenants: The developer is working with Advanced Auto Parts, Firehouse Subs and several other tenants.
' Investment: Nearly $5 million.
' Schedule: "We hope to start on one of the buildings in the next couple of weeks, and we'd like to complete the project by January or February - at the latest March," Hale said.
- Compiled by Business Editor Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6340.