Plan brings new Hobby Lobby to Lexington

A new shopping center that’s expected to feature Hobby Lobby as an anchor is coming to Lexington, town officials say.

The development on a 29-acre tract on U.S. 378 at Hope Ferry Road awaits review from the town Planning Commission, with approval of its design possible on Wednesday.

Plans for the project feature an unidentified supermarket and a half dozen stores as well as Hobby Lobby in 131,000 square feet of retail space, town Planning Director John Hanson said.

It would be the fourth outlet for the national craft supplier and home goods chain in the Columbia area.

Executives at the project’s developer — S.J. Collins Enterprises of Atlanta — couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.

The shopping center is the latest project sprouting on the main commercial and commuting thoroughfare in the steadily growing town of nearly 20,000 residents. Town officials are happy that side roads will link the new center to other nearby stores to reduce congestion on busy U.S. 378.

“It’s about the interconnectivity we want on these developments,” Mayor Steve MacDougall said.

Previous proposals to transform a site that includes the home of Northwood Baptist Church have fallen through but this one is moving forward steadily, officials said. The church has said it plans to move.

The new center is set to open in late 2016, officials said.

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Plan brings new Hobby Lobby to Lexington."