Development Anticipated in Madison

Development anticipated

Madison's Grandview Boulevard nearly ready to open

By Sylvain Metz
smetz@clarionledger.com

J.D. Schwalm/The Clarion-Ledger Preparations continue for the opening of additional sections of Grandview Avenue in Madison on Tuesday. The roadway has received new asphalt and landscaping.

MADISON — The southern portion of Madison's latest commercial thoroughfare may be several weeks from opening, but that hasn't prevented motorists from dodging road signs to help break in the new four-lane Grandview Boulevard .

Stretching from Madison Avenue north to the southern end of the Wal-Mart Supercenter parking lot on the east side of I-55, this connecting strip will give motorists a north-south corridor between Mississippi 463 down to West Jackson Street in Ridgeland.

Plans call for widening Cotton Hill Road and Sunnybrook Road to help accommodate traffic. Work on that portion of the corridor is at least 18 months away, according to Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler.

The extension of Grandview will open up 150 acres for commercial development, Butler said.

"A lot of people are speculating about what will go in there," she said. Butler said she has reviewed five different developers' plans for the city, each of which includes a Target. So, if that's any indication, "I expect to see a sixth Target" proposed, she said.Madison County Developer Buster Bailey, who owns the land, could not be reached for comment.

The growing retail market is a boon for the city and a welcomed convenience for local residents.

It means "I don't have to drive to Jackson for a lot of these things," said Gluckstadt resident Clayton Roberts. "I think it's fantastic."The opening of the road coincides with the opening of the new 17-screen movie theater just south of the Wal-mart Supercenter. The Grandview, a $15 million movie house owned and operated by Malco Theatres of Memphis, is scheduled to open in mid-January.

In addition to movies, the theater will feature an expanded concession stand, Internet cafe with Wi-Fi, an arcade and party room, said Malco sales and marketing coordinator Karen Scott in a statement.Although scheduled to open this past summer, the construction was hampered by Hurricane Katrina, she said.

Looking on the north side of Mississippi 463, road work has proceeded along Galleria Parkway, home to Parkway East.

Begun in June, roadwork is all but completed on the first 2.5- mile stretch of the parkway which reaches to Bear Creek.The parkway opens 360 acres to commercial and residential development.

Developer Dick Ambrosino estimates the road largely will be completed by the end of the year, barring rain delays.The balance of the 4.8-mile parkway, from a point north of Bear Creek up to Weisenberger Road in Gluckstadt, will be built by landowners.

Ambrosino's development incudes a residential subdivision and retail center.

The subdivision, known as Fontanelle, will be a 277-lot development adjacent to the Galleria that will include a variety of upscale homes.The centerpiece will be two lakes, separated by a weir, totaling 15-20 acres stocked with bass and catfish. The 22- to 23-foot-deep lakes, now completed, will feature water fountains.

So far, Ambrosino said he has more than 40 commitments for homes in Phase I, which will total 83 lots.Construction of the Galleria, which will feature a mix of local and national retailers on 150 acres, is expected to start about a year from now, Ambrosino said.

Total investment is estimated about $500 million.