By: Christopher Finley, Director of Marketing, The Willard Companies
Smith Mountain Lake, VA (March 26, 2004) - Construction on the brand new Westlake Shopping Center is picking up the pace and crossing major milestones. In April, two new businesses, Franklin Community Bank and Wendy’s, will join the nineteen other companies within the entire center already in business and going strong.
The 50,000-square-foot shopping facility will house 16 lease spaces ranging from 998 to 5,200 square feet. The shopping center is adjacent to the existing Kroger Grocery store and will also house a 4 theater, stadium seating, multiplex. The development of Westlake Towne Center at Westlake Corner continues to make major strides. According to Ronald L. Willard, President of The Willard Companies, “Commercially, Kroger is in and open, two new businesses will join the shopping center in April, and we are working on a number of other retail prospects and opportunities.”
The Westlake Shopping Center architectural appearance can be best described as nostalgic and will resemble the quality and masonry. The shopping center will be colored with beautiful landscaping and will have the feel of a miniature town. “We’re building a ‘Mayberry,’” Willard says, referring to a small town atmosphere that will be designed in a 1920s-style motif. The shopping center features picturesque views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, brick crosswalks and sidewalks for pedestrians. In Willard’s vision, he can see people walking through the mall, having lunch, playing a round of golf, or waiting for tickets to the latest blockbuster movie.
Franklin Community Bank will be the first new business to open its doors to the public in early April. The company’s second office will add seven new employees when it opens this month. According to Larry A. Heaton, Chairman of the Board and President / CEO, based on observations of the lake market, comments from the community, the accelerated growth of the lake market exceeded Franklin Community Bank’s initial business plan. Says Heaton, “It is obvious based on the growth of businesses that are already open, the extension of the water line, and the continued vibrancy of Smith Mountain Lake, that the Westlake Towne Center will continue to grow.” Further indication of this growth is evidenced by the number of national chains that are choosing or considering locating at Westlake Towne Center. “We are clearly excited about the opportunity based on early response…we have a lot of support at the lake,” says Heaton. Franklin Community Bank will offer a variety of core products and services to it’s customers including debit and credit cards, savings, checking, 24 Hour ATM Access, retail, mortgage, business lending, and online banking. In addition, the bank will offer longer lobby hours and will be open on Saturdays. Franklin Community Bank is a member of FDIC, and is an Equal Housing Lender.
Wendy’s will be the second new business to open at Westlake Towne Center in mid-April. In addition, Wendy’s will be the second quick service restaurant at the lake since Dairy Queen opened back in June of 1994. Wendy’s will employ around forty employees and have a management staff of five. According to Malcolm Pike, President and CEO / Owner, “We’ve been looking at the Smith Mountain Lake area for years. Looking at the future growth of the area it was apparent that now is the right time for us to expand and build at Westlake Towne Center.” Pike says the company will plan on having a grand opening on a Monday as well as a special invitation only party the Sunday prior and invite all the people who helped with the project and a special dinner that night for the new employees and their families. Wendy’s menu will feature its Old Fashioned Hamburgers and Combos, Chicken Sandwiches and Strips, Garden Sensations Salads, Super Value Menu, Hot Stuffed Baked Potatoes, Side Dishes, Frosty and Beverages, and Kid’s Meal.
Along with these two new businesses will be the installation of the town’s second new stop light. At present, there is just one stoplight on the thoroughfare between Rocky Mount and Bedford. The light will be installed adjacent to the Four Square building at Westlake Towne Center and Rt. 616 North / Morewood Road. The stop light will be installed at the beginning of April.
The Westlake Shopping Center will offer a variety of service related businesses, and is geared to market to business that want to relocate to a rural area and live in a resort type community at Smith Mountain Lake. Tenants are fortunate enough to be in close proximity to major markets with high technology connections to Virginia Tech in telecommunications, engineering, wireless, life sciences, biotechnology, and agriculture. The Smith Mountain Lake area is also in close proximity to the markets of Lynchburg, Greensboro, and Richmond.
The Westlake Shopping Center also offers its tenants a variety of fiber optic technology options. The center provides tenants with T1 access to the Internet with the capability of accessing for VPN connection to home offices as well as access to offices from home. In addition, the network at Westlake Shopping and Towne Centers is “hot pluggable,” meaning that the only necessary equipment needed for connecting computers to the Internet or home office is a computer and a network card. The network management will be handled by Westlake Towne Center, which allows businesses to focus on the work and projects that you need to, without having to spend time managing the network as well.
The first constructed facility at Westlake Towne Center consisted of a branch location of Smith Mountain Building Supply, which was completed in the spring of 2001. Since then, Westlake Towne Center is now home to a grocery store, banks, a fitness center, an interior design company, coffee and deli shop, and several retail businesses. Later construction will bring more office buildings, a branch library, condominiums, an assisted living retirement center, a Par 3 nine-hole golf course, daycare center, and additional retail shops. “Now there’s everything here people could desire for their homes,” Willard says…“water softeners, a cell phone center, kitchen center, paint center, a building supply store with a specialty window supply center.”
Willard says his biggest reward as a result of developing the Westlake Shopping Center and the Westlake Towne Center is “bringing cornerstones to the community.” In addition, convenience was another one of the main issues that prompted Willard to move forward with the project. The Westlake Towne Center will serve as a one-stop shop for residents of Smith Mountain Lake making it more convenient to shop locally instead of driving to Lynchburg, Greensboro, or Roanoke markets. “It’s time to keep the money here at the lake,” says Willard.
The Willard Companies is the umbrella for Willard Construction of Roanoke Valley, Inc., Waterfront Properties, The Waterfront, The Water’s Edge, and The Westlake Golf & Country Clubs, and The Boardwalk. The company is involved in building, developing, marketing and country clubs. The Company also owns Westlake Towne Center and Smith Mountain Building Supply, LLC. For more information about the Westlake Shopping Center or the Westlake Towne Center including leasing, pricing, and availability, please contact Ron Willard, II, Vice President, at (540) 721-5288 or visit www.westlaketowncenter.com.