Changes In Store For Area Near Crabtree Valley Mall

For years, shoppers have gone to Crabtree Valley Mall to get whatever they need.

"I shop here a lot. It's convenient. There's so much around this area that I can, kind of, get a lot of stuff done," shopper Sarah Green said.

Eighteen months ago, the city did away with its decade-old policy of limiting expansion around the shopping center.

The "Crabtree Valley Small Area Plan" calls for mixed-use development, combining retail with residential and office space. The goal is to keep up with other growing retail hubs like Triangle Town Center and The Streets At Southpoint.

"I think it will help keep Crabtree a more vibrant economically location and that's very important, not only for Crabtree but for people who rely on that as a major service center," Raleigh planning director George Chapman said.

The city council recently passed a zoning variance to allow a spa and shops to be located on three acres of land near Crabtree Valley Mall. Behind the mall, work is under way at the old Kidds Hill Shopping Center site. The Galleria will include shops, restaurants, apartments and office space.

"The more, the merrier quite honestly," developer Mark Tipton said. "Anytime you can accommodate the different parts of the economy and our lifestyle, it really makes it more beneficial to everyone."

Although Crabtree is not developing the properties for the Galleria, developers are working with the mall to make sure what they do complements what is already here. For example, the Galleria will have a bridge that connects to the mall.