Where’s the upscale at Blythewood’s Killian’s Crossing?

For more than a decade, the 400-acre Killian’s Crossing development in Northeast Columbia has been billed as a “lifestyle center” – a new concept in shopping that combines residential, retail and office space in a natural, walkable setting.

The estimated $716 million development was to be filled with parks and residences, offices and boutiques anchored by high-profile retailers. But for the greater part of the past decade, Killian’s Crossing was an empty field next to Interstate 77, in large part because of the battered economy.

Last year, the state’s first Kroger Marketplace – a grocery store with upscale service departments, a Starbucks, a delicatessen, sushi bar and more – opened there, and today Killian’s Crossing is starting to take off. But while the grocery store is popular, some people wonder when the lifestyle center is going to show up.

“It’s developing. It’s moving along,” said retired University of South Carolina administrator Pam Bond, who drives by the development almost every day. “But there are a lot of fast-food chains and car dealerships. It looks like any other area around an interstate exit. It’s disappointing.”

In addition to the Kroger, the center includes seven new fast-food restaurants along Killian Road just east of Interstate 77.

Last week, plans were announced for six new businesses to join the complex, including a Hampton Inn & Suites, Firehouse Subs, Salsaritas, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Supercuts, Posh Nail Spa and Pacific Dental.

“The original idea from what I had read and heard was that it would be more upscale,” said Bond, who lives in nearby Long Creek Plantation. “But it’s more like a handy stopover for people traveling on the interstate. The fast-food buildings are nice, but I haven’t seen anything different and unique. Where’s the upscale?”

High expectations

The development is marketed as a community with a “town center (that) will feature a bustling main street, complete with boutiques, specialty shops, restaurants, cafes, apartments and a movie theater.”

The developers add that Killian’s Crossing will boast “all the amenities associated with a village, including access to the natural environment, a thoughtful mix of land uses, pedestrian friendly spaces, a variety of housing choices, and a respect for time-honored traditions.

“Storefront parking, fountains and outdoor seating will create an environment ideal for leisurely visits and casual browsing. A village green, at the heart of the main street, will serve as a gathering spot for summer concerts, performances, picnics and more.”

Mark Rosenbaum, who chairs the University of South Carolina’s Department of Retailing, said the lifestyle center concept is “booming around the world.”

The centers, he said, re-create the town centers that were destroyed by the advent of the suburban malls, many of which are now dying.

“Hopefully that’s on the agenda with the greenery and the landscaping,” he said. “If not, we might just have another nice strip center.”

The developer, Crossings Development, and the broker, Colliers International, say development of the center is in its infancy. As more retailers come on board, they will determine their location on the property and the center will develop organically.

The fast-food restaurants, hotel and service businesses are just the beginning, said Craig Waites, a Colliers South Carolina vice president.

“And once you start generating momentum, the property becomes attractive to the department stores and that type of retail,” he said.

Be patient

Marianne Bickle, a professor in USC’s Retail Department, agreed.

The fast-food restaurants, nail salons and hotel form the bedrock of what will become a “shopping mecca” in the future, she said.

“When you have an exit to a major highway, what you will always have is one of two things – outlet malls or a lot of fast-food restaurants,” she said. “Let us not pooh-pooh fast-food restaurants because they have a ripple effect. They generate an extreme amount of income, generate sales tax, generate traffic. The subsidiary or spinoff businesses will come.”

As those businesses attract more people, then the more upscale shops and restaurants will take interest, Bickle said.

“I think it will fill up so fast it will make your head spin,” she said. “Five years from now you won’t recognize the place.”

Wendy Keene, a pharmaceutical representative who lives about 3 miles from Killian’s Crossing in the Willow Lake subdivision, said the fast-food restaurants and other stores are a blessing.

All are brand new, sport the latest decor, are spotlessly clean and have the newest technologies. That, coupled with the Kroger – which also sells everything from furniture to clothes to jewelry along with a staggering array of both groceries and prepared food – makes for a convenient and pleasurable shopping experience.

“I love it,” Keene said. “There are things to do. I don’t have go so far to shop. The nail salon is exciting. And the Kroger is the best thing since sliced bread. It’s amazing.”

As for the lifestyle center concept and the upscale tenants, she said to be patient.

“None of those stores have shown up yet,” she said. “But who’s to say they won’t?”

This story was originally published September 2, 2017 at 8:55 AM with the headline "Where’s the upscale at Blythewood’s Killian’s Crossing?."