The former Ladd Elementary School property oddly located within the city limits of Waynesboro in what is now a bustling commercial corridor will soon be the site of a new development.
Mitchener Properties LLC, based in Charlotte, N.C., announced today that the initial tenants for the new Waynesboro Marketplace will be Sheetz, Chipotle, Popeyes Chicken, Aspen Dental and Take 5 Oil Change.
Development of the 13-acre site will be in three phases: demolition of the current structure and site development, construction of five retail/consumer services buildings and Rosser Avenue improvements, and additional retail/services in the rear of the site.
Phase one is scheduled to begin soon with phase two estimated to be completed in mid-2022.
“The further development of the Rosser Avenue corridor is a great complement to the area’s recent growth,” Waynesboro Mayor Bobby Henderson said. “The addition of these national brand establishments continues to secure Waynesboro’s position as a destination of choice for visitors and provides additional amenities and options for citizens.”
The former county elementary school property has been vacant since 2014. The school, which opened in 1965, was located in Augusta County until the 1986 annexation, and continued as a county public school for 28 years, the last decade-plus as the Rosser Avenue-Interstate 64 commercial corridor grew up around it.
In addition to major shopping, lodging and dining venues, the corridor has seen significant investment in the last few years, with more than 500 residential units built or planned, a $1 million upgrade to the VDOT Park and Ride providing additional parking spaces, new transit facilities and other amenities, plus new retail, food and medical services opening within the last few months.
“I am looking forward to begin development of the site which will bring new jobs and added tax revenue,” said Bill Mitchener, principal with Mitchener Properties LLC. “All of the tenants are very excited to locate in Waynesboro and the cooperation of Augusta County and the City of Waynesboro to help facilitate this development has been amazing. It is great to work with a pro development community!”
“Revitalization of the former Ladd School site is another milestone in the development of the exit 94 area,” Waynesboro Director of Economic Development and Tourism Greg Hitchin said. “This area has seen a dramatic change in the last two decades and offers a multitude of options for dining, shopping, and services for citizens and visitors.”