Walgreens to open Nov. 10

With the first phase of Bus. 29 roadwork complete, Walgreens pharmacy is now accessible from the street and is set to open Nov. 10.

The freestanding drug store, located at the corner of Montanus Drive, is awaiting an occupancy permit from the county, said property owner and developer Larry Leber. The county’s senior building inspector, Danny Bartges, said he had one final inspection to make before issuing the permit.

“We’ve turned it over to (Walgreens) for shelving and stocking,” Leber said. “The date is up to them. They’ve got to complete their work so we can get the final occupancy permit.
It’s a bit of a moving target as we get down the stretch.

“Besides that, it’s a great store. They are a very good outfit. The location, we think, is great.”

Of the other major new businesses in Culpeper, Walgreens is the closest to opening. Here is a quick look at a few others:

- Rite Aid: The county’s building department approved site plans earlier this year for a Rite Aid drug store on Bus. 29 across from Walgreens. However, what happens now is anyone’s guess.

“They have all the approvals as far as the site plan, but they never came forward to ask for a building permit,” said John Egertson, director of the county’s planning department.

Economic Development Director Carl Sachs said there were no other pending permits for the site. “I don’t know what happened to it,” he said.

James Swan, property owner for the proposed site, could not be reached for comment.

- Martin’s grocery: The initial groundbreaking and site work has commenced on the newest addition to Culpeper’s grocery stores.

Martin’s, sister store to Giant, has always been on the site plan for the Culpeper Colonnade shopping center, Egertson said, though there has been confusion about whether it would be a grocery store or gas station. The site, actually, will include both.

“That ‘just a gas station’ thing was an error on somebody’s part,” he said.

There was an architectural review of the site and the county rejected initial plans for gas pumps, which have since been modified and approved in September. Egertson did not know when the project would be completed.

“The first set of pumps was basically a horrible-looking bright red canopy and not in keeping with the rest of the center,” he said. “The more recent proposed set will have brick columns with a pitched roof and green canopy. Just a whole lot better looking. (The change was) purely aesthetic.”

According to the site plan for the Regency Center-owned Culpeper Colonnade, Martin’s will take up nearly 68,500 square feet — more than half the size of next-door neighbor Target.

- Sonic: Also proposed for the Culpeper Colonnade shopping center is a Sonic restaurant, complete with drive-in stalls and outdoor seating, though a public relations representative for the franchisee could not give a projected completion date.

Building inspector Bartges said he had not yet received plans for the site, though Egertson’s architectural review approved the initial proposal.

n Hampton Inn & Suites: Despite gaining approval for a land disturbance permit this spring, the proposed Hampton Inn & Suites site on Lovers Lane is still in its early stages.
Egertson said the site work was “well under way” but said the builders had “various issues with water and sewer.”

Bartges said much of the groundwork was complete. “There were some issues with getting some piping underneath (U.S.) 29,” he said. “We have looked at some plans and plans are approved.”

Property owner Hunter Chapman could not be reached for comment. Danny Atkins, a partner and builder with the project, said in April that the 98-room hotel should be finished in 15 months. It is unclear if that estimated timeline is still applicable.

n Holiday Inn Express: Another hotel under construction is the Holiday Inn Express on U.S. 29 south of town next to the Best Western. Representatives for the property could not be reached, but Bartges acknowledged the project’s progress has slowed.

“Honestly, they’re moving at a pace that they’re comfortable with,” he said. “I don’t know why they’re moving so slow.”
Sachs agreed.

“I think they overestimated their opening date,” he said, “but it looks like they’re working hard to get it open by the end of the year. I don’t know why their project slipped so much.”

Catherine Amos can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 138 or camos@starexponent.com.