Johnston project wins support

Johnston County's Board of Commissioners approved a special-use permit and rezoned 283 acres for a proposed development of residential, professional and commercial space that would be larger than almost every other commercial hub in the county.

River Oaks, the new project, proposes to bring more than 1 million square feet of retail and office space and hundreds of apartments and condominiums, and 350 hotel rooms to the intersection of I-40 and N.C. 42, where a Walmart opened just this year. The planned development would be big enough to rival hubs such as the White Oak shopping center in Garner and could draw shoppers and developers alike to Johnston, its planners say.

"There's a very clear indication that those cash registers are ringing in Wake County, not Johnston County," said Austin Williams of Crosland. By his account, Johnston is an untapped field for the national chains and upscale shopping centers that have spread from the heart of the Triangle.

The developers have not named an anchor store or any specific retail outlets, but the project's specs call for 650,000 square feet of retail space. By Crosland's research, that's more than a quarter of the current retail footage in Johnston County.

In general, the developer said, the county has less than half as much retail space per person as the average for the Triangle.

Wade Stewart, chairman of the board of commissioners, said the project is only matched in size -- and potential tax dollars -- by Carolina Premium Outlets, the outlet center in Smithfield.

The developers' choice of location, with entrances only a thousand feet from the intersection of Interstate 40 and N.C. 42, is not surprising. The area is nicknamed 40/42, and it has seen intense residential and commercial growth over the past decade.

"They always said that the commercial will follow the rooftops," Stewart said.

No opposition

The commissioner was surprised no residents spoke out against the development at the meeting. The area's recent growth has created traffic snarls that occasionally loom large in development debates.

Commissioner Cookie Pope said local business owners have already called her about the project.

"They said, 'Bring it on; it brings traffic by my store,'" she said. "Not a one of them has called me and said, 'Don't you dare do this.'"

Williams, the developer, argued a similar point in a presentation. He said the center would feature plazas, benches and open spaces meant to draw in customers and create a communal space.

Customers would come for coffee even if they didn't need a "50-pound bag of dog food," he said.

Construction for one of the project's major commercial spaces could start within three years, Williams said. The developer had been in talks with the county for about a year.

"It's a big project, guys," Stewart told the board as they prepared to approve a permit for River Oaks. "It's a mouthful."

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