Slice of Life owner Ray Worrell is finalizing plans for a new multi-unit development at 163 Porters Neck Road.

A 4,000-square-foot, stand-alone building will house a new 120-seat Slice of Life, and the neighboring space will be designed as retail and restaurant space for lease.

Plans also include a shared outdoor gathering space, which Worrell said will have gas fire pits and communal seating, between Slice and the neighboring businesses.

Worrell selected the location in part to expand Slice of Life’s presence into the growing Porters Neck area, and also because of its accessibility to the future connection of Porter’s Neck Road with Interstate 140.

“Even though this is a priority project for the [N.C.] Department of Transportation, it’s likely still a few years out,” Worrell said. “But eventually, I-140 will spill out right at this location.”

Worrell originally looked into opening a brewery at the site but in the end decided to stick with what he knows. 

“Opening a brewery would have been a huge learning curve for me and a huge expense as well,” he said. “And with all the breweries here in town, it just makes more sense for me to stick with what I know and support them by serving their beers.”

Looking long-term, Worrell said that he plans to get the Porters Neck location up and running and then shift his efforts to his downtown location.

When Worrell purchased the historic Masonic Hall building at 125 Market St. in 2013, he also purchased the adjoining 4,800-square-foot lot on the building’s north side. It has always been part of his plan, he said, to develop that space into an indoor-outdoor dining area with an additional bar and large garage-style doors opening to the streets.

Now he says that in addition to the indoor-outdoor space, he hopes to build several more stories on top of that, which will house both office space and apartments.

Construction of the Porters Neck location, as well as the neighboring building, is expected to begin this fall, with openings planned for the summer of 2018.