Aged Shopping Center on Tuscaloosa’s Skyland Boulevard to Get $25 Million Redevelopment

An aging shopping center on Tuscaloosa's Skyland Boulevard is soon to undergo a $25 million facelift to revitalize the entire property, the developer said on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for CBRE Group, Inc., the world's largest commercial real estate firm, told the Thread that they have been awarded the leasing agreement for OmniMarket, a redevelopment project planned for the corner of Skyland and McFarland Boulevard.

Right now, the site is home to Wright Plaza South, which houses the Fresh Value grocery store, a closed Pizza Hut that reopened as a wings restaurant, the Walgreens pharmacy that permanently closed earlier this year, and more. 

Local Developer Michael Whitworth, the longtime owner of the property, told the Thread on Tuesday that if negotiations with the city and other stakeholders continue to go well, the 105,000 square foot shopping center is going to be completely redeveloped.

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"We're looking at a full redevelopment, and not leaving any stone unturned as far as the parcels we're redoing," Whitworth said. "If we touch the building, it's going to come up to a new modern design and standard, both inside and out."

Renderings provided by CBRE in a press release showed the entire property spruced up and filled with new tenants and shoppers.

Whitworth said his OmniGroup is primarily looking to land new-to-market retailers at the site, which will offer a wide range of spaces for stores to occupy. It's the same mission as fellow developer Stan Pate has on the other side of the street at the now-demolished McFarland Mall, where his "Project Encore" plans earned him the largest tax incentive ever awarded by the Tuscaloosa City Council.

"We're super excited about the development being part of the primary corridor into Tuscaloosa, and we're working with the city right now to make sure the development is successful," Whitworth said. "As long as we can work together, we'll be able to deliver this project."

Tuscaloosa City Councilman Cassius Lanier represents District 7, where both projects are planned and others, like bringing Culver's and other new restaurants to town, are also underway.

"This is the other project I've been working on for the last three or four years, really. It's about to be a huge development that's going to bring all new-to-market businesses in this area," Lanier said. "This is something, coupled with project Encore, to change the whole face of District 7. My goal is to give the whole McFarland and Skyland Boulevard corridor a facelift."

Lanier also said he's looking forward to the city's eventual streetscaping upgrades planned for Skyland Boulevard. However, that may be years away and will require cooperation with the Alabama Department of Transportation and careful planning to make sure it doesn't interrupt Pate or Whitworth as their projects get underway.

For more exclusive coverage of all this action in District 7 and other restaurant and retail development news, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.