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Pace Properties Conducts Grand Opening of Phase I of $120 Million, Three-Tiered Manchester Highlands in Manchester, MO
Monday, November 24, 2008
Brinkmann Constructors Completes First Tier of 550,000 SF Shopping Center
ST. LOUIS – Like a giant stairway, the first “step” of shopping at the $120 million Manchester Highlands in Manchester, Mo. opened its doors in late November to welcome shoppers for the busiest shopping days of the year. Brinkmann Constructors completed the first phase of what will ultimately be a 550,000-square-foot, three-tiered, shopping center developed by Pace Properties. The development is more than 95 percent leased with Petsmart, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond and Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance all now open. Future phases will host anchors Wal-Mart Supercenter and Costco Wholesale Club on the upper two tiers. Both are slated to open in early summer 2009.
Located on a 70-acre tract of land along Manchester Road at Missouri Highway 141, Brinkmann was tasked to reshape a challenging terrain that falls more than 100 feet from its high point on the north to Manchester Road on the south. It required Brinkmann to move 500,000 cubic yards of dirt and 40,000 cubic yards of rock to create three linked terraces. The center was designed by TR,i Architects.
“It is a prime retail location, evidenced by the fact that it’s 95 percent leased months ahead of completion,” said Rick Randall, senior vice president of development for Pace Properties. “Brinkmann’s engineering ingenuity afforded us the opportunity to offer prominence and visibility to all retailers. Not only is the completed Phase I functional and visually stimulating, it allows for continual construction on the other terraces while the first stores conduct business.”
To soften the steeply sloped terrain and buffer the development from adjacent residential neighborhoods, the Highlands is one of the most extensively landscaped shopping centers in the region. It features dense plantings of trees and shrubs combined with a 15-foot-high, 800-foot-long landscaped berm. When completed, each of the center’s 11 structures will be visually linked by the widespread use of brick and stone, with decorative awnings and strategically placed pergolas adding further distinction. Walking trails will connect each of the terraces with bordering neighborhoods. Also destined for the site is an outdoor amphitheatre that will serve as a venue for live performances and a new municipal building for the city of Manchester. Parking will be provided for 2,500 vehicles.
In addition to extensive site work, Andy McDonell, project director for Brinkmann, said the location of the property at one of most highly trafficked intersections in West St. Louis County compounded the challenges in Phase I. Brinkmann improved accessibility by adding two lanes to Manchester Road in less than two weeks as it facilitated the underground installation of utility and power lines once strung pole-to-pole.
“They aren’t making any ‘new land’ so it’s our job to use the tools we have to make something functional and beautiful out of non-traditional sites,” McDonell said. “Phase I has been a challenge, but even with the wet spring and on-going weather delays we’ve met our target completion date.”
Opportunities for both junior anchor retail space and small shop retail space remain. For leasing information, call Colleen O’Neill at 314/968-9898 or email coneill@paceproperties.com.
Founded in 1984, Brinkmann Constructors, with offices in Chesterfield, Mo. and Denver, Colo., provides design/build and fast-track construction for developers, retailers, healthcare providers, corporations, financial institutions, manufacturers, restaurants, country clubs, schools and not-for-profit organizations. It has completed projects in 14 states. Engineering News-Record ranks the firm among the nation’s Top 100 design/build firms.
