The majority of activity in the Macon retail market is currently from big box users such as Wal-Mart, Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse and Walgreens. "Retailers had been shifting away from our regional mall area, but with the addition of Eisenhower Crossing, a new power center development, that corridor is once again active," says Karen Satterwhite, retail specialist with NAI/Fickling & Co. "North Macon is the area's restaurant row with the addition of Jocks & Jills and Cheddars Restaurant, which has purchased a site on Riverside Drive. Our older neighborhood and power centers are undergoing faïade rehabilitations and repositioning tenants to draw more dynamic retailers."

Wal-Mart has already closed one in-line store and opened a Super Wal-Mart on the east side of Macon. Wal-Mart plans two additional super store locations on the north and northwest sides of Macon. The new 600,000-square-foot power center, Eisenhower Crossing, is being developed by the Sofran Group out of Atlanta and will bring at least five new big box users to the market. This new development at the corner of Eisenhower Parkway and Log Cabin Drive is approximately two miles from the 1 million-square-foot + Colonial Mall, Macon. This additional development will solidify Macon's retail market as a huge draw for the Central Georgia area.

Most of Macon's new development is taking place in the northwest area with the addition of Eisenhower Crossing and a Wal-Mart Super Center at Interstate 475 and Eisenhower Parkway. A new Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse and another Wal-Mart Super Center at I-475 and Zebulon Road add to the volume in this area. As traffic continues to escalate on I-75 through the heart of Macon, the I-475 bypass becomes an attractive alternative. The Department of Transportation is currently in the process of widening I-475 to accommodate the increase in traffic. North and northwest Macon continue to be the areas of residential growth.

Retailers new to the Macon market include Target, Goody's Family Clothing, Marshall's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy, Party City, AmStar Theaters and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Hi-Fi Buys has also made its first appearance in the market with a lease signed for a 12,000-square-foot store across from Colonial Mall, Macon. Lowe's also recently signed a lease for 120,000 square feet on Zebulon Road.

Satterwhite says the area to keep an eye on is south Macon between Macon and Warner Robins. "I-75 will be adding an exit south of Hartley Bridge Road at Sardis Church Road and I-75," she adds. "Residential growth is heading in that direction from Warner Robins because of new civilian contracts coming out of Robins Air Force Base."

Karen Satterwhite is a retail specialist with NAI/Fickling & Company.


©2001 France Publications, Inc. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from France Publications, Inc. For information on reprints of this article contact Barbara Sherer at (630) 554-6054.