Lancaster County’s next massive shopping center could go south of Indian Land
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- MPV Properties proposed 300,000+ sq ft of retail near Lancaster's Roselyn area
- Development could include grocery, medical office, and two retail centers with anchors
- Project follows population surge south of Indian Land, signaling retail expansion
Lancaster County’s next massive shopping area could have something that the most recent few haven’t — an address south of the county panhandle.
A plan submitted to Lancaster County in July shows several large retail sites on 63 acres near the city of Lancaster. It could bring more than 300,000 square feet of commercial development, including a grocery store.
The property is between the new Roselyn neighborhood and a proposed 578-home subdivision by Meritage Homes, just east of U.S. 521. A 15-acre site between the highway and Meritage project would be set aside for a new school.
Charlotte developer MPV Properties applied to rezone more than 48 acres for the commercial project. The Herald could not immediately reach MPV Properties for comment.
MPV Properties lists online that the combined subdivision and retail space, which cover 418 acres, as being under contract. The developer listed the site for $37,500 an acre.
Documents submitted with the rezoning request offer details on the commercial property, which could put it on a similar scale to some of the largest retail sites in the area.
Grocery store, big retailers in Lancaster plan
The concept plan that’s part of the rezoning request isn’t official in terms of what will be built. Any of the items shown on the sketch would have to come through the county planning process for their own approval.
Concept plans do, though, show what would be allowed on a site if it’s rezoned. MPV Properties used Fort Mill-based engineering firm Kimley Horn to lay out this one, showing where new businesses would go.
An internal road off U.S. 521, or Charlotte Highway, cuts the commercial piece into two parts. It also leads to the school and neighborhood parts of the larger development.
North of that internal road, there’s a two-story medical office building fronting the highway.
Just east of it is a large shopping center with a 98,000-square-foot anchor store. For reference, the Super Walmart in northern Indian Land is about 182,000 square feet. The Publix grocery store in Indian Land is about 50,000 square feet.
Beside the 98,000-square-foot space, there’s a 45,000-square-foot space listed as a junior anchor space. Four more commercial buildings set around a large parking lot combine for 35,000 square feet.
There’s a similar shopping area shown to the south of the internal road.
It has a 54,000-square-foot grocery store, a 30,000-square-foot junior anchor building and four smaller commercial buildings at a combined 30,000 square feet. There are no retailers named on the concept plan, or in documents submitted with the rezoning request.
Commercial growth follows homes south
Lancaster County led the Charlotte metro region in population growth the past several years on the influx of new residents to Indian Land. Now, though, thousands of homes are coming south of the panhandle in areas like Roselyn and Edgewater.
The project across from Roselyn is a sign that commercial growth could follow a similar trend.
The Super Walmart just south of the North Carolina line in Indian Land was built in 2010. The more than 250,000-square-foot Promenade at Carolina Reserve put several national retailers near Sun City in 2018 and 2019.
That’s also when Indian Land’s 51,000-square-foot movie theater RedStone 14 opened, as part of a more than 100,000-square-foot mix of restaurants and retail.
Ongoing construction is set to bring a Costco, Target and Lowes Foods to Indian Land. Many of the larger retail spaces south of the Indian Land panhandle are older shopping centers in places like Lancaster.
More information on Lancaster commercial project
MPV Properties and Meritage Homes held a community meeting on Aug. 25 for neighbors around the Lancaster property. The county Planning Commission heard project details at a Sept. 4 workshop. A full Planning Commission review is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sept. 16 at the Lancaster County Administration Building.
MPV Properties has a long history of work in the Charlotte region, from grocery stores to large corporate offices.
A company map online of available properties shows 14 Lancaster County sites. They’re in Sun City and Walnut Creek. MPV also is working on a second phase at RedStone in Indian Land. Only two of the properties listed online are south of the panhandle.
