In a recent $3.7 million transaction, developers closed on 25 acres in Leland where they plan to develop a nearly 132,000-square-foot, Publix-anchored shopping center.

The project, called Leland Village, is expected to include retailer Marshalls and cosmetics chain Ulta as junior anchors, along with a mix of local and national retailers and service providers. Atlanta-based Branch Properties is developing the project in partnership with Columbia Properties, another commercial developer based in the Atlanta area.

Jesse Shannon, president and partner with Branch Properties, said his group is taking the lead on the project’s development and aims to break ground on the shopping center in late July or early August. The construction is expected to take about 14 months, he said.

About 80% of the shopping center’s retail space is already pre-leased, which is pretty typical for the grocery-anchored shopping centers the company works on, Shannon said. The remaining available space will be marketed to a mix of national and regional retailers.

Branch Properties also owns and manages Leland’s Waterford Village shopping center, and the company’s experience in the growing Leland market heightened their interest in the Leland Village project, Shannon said. 

“Given the explosive nature of that market from a population standpoint, we wanted to leverage off the success we're already having there,” he said, “and, you know, hopefully continue to meet demand in that market with a new project.”

The shopping center will be located at the intersection of U.S. 17 and the proposed Kingsbridge Road, according to a recent news release. In addition to developing retail space on roughly 17 acres of the site, Branch Properties plans to invest $3.8 million in off-site infrastructure improvements, including a new traffic signal, curb cuts and other investments.

The project would also bring an entrance to a broader site, said Mike Brown, a senior vice president of Cape Fear Commercial, who led efforts to get the property under contract and close the transaction. Brian Eckel, co-founder of Cape Fear Commercial, was also involved, Brown said.

The land slated for the shopping center is part of a nearly 450-acre tract owned by members of the Goodman family, Brown said. The family had been working to sell the shopping center parcel for a few years before Cape Fear Commercial got involved in 2023.

The land went under contract with Branch Properties and Columbia Properties in May 2024, and a deed marking the sale of the property was recorded on Monday, records show.

“This was a big piece to get the Columbia Properties/Branch Properties piece closed because they’re putting in an entrance drive and some of the road improvements, which are critical to the remainder of the property in terms of access,” Brown said.

Members of the Goodman family retain ownership of 423 acres, with about 22 acres zoned for commercial development and the rest zoned for multifamily. Brown said he plans to meet with family members in the coming weeks to help determine their plans for the site moving forward.

Brown said the shopping center will help serve the area's ongoing residential growth.

“I think it's just this is the natural progression of that growth,” he said, “in terms of providing retail services and amenities to the residential base in Leland.”