AskAsheville took this close-up video of the new Lowe’s and Wal-Mart buildings in the Northridge Commons development. There’s still no official word on when the stores will be opening, though I’ve heard Lowe’s may open in March and Wal-Mart in May.

The wall’s are going up quickly for the new Lowe’s store. This photo was taken yesterday (September 9). Rumors have started swirling that they’re going to be opening by Christmas or the first of the year, but official word is still a Spring 2009 opening.  More photos of the Northridge Commons project are available to view here.

I haven’t posted an update on Northridge Commons for awhile, mainly because until recently all I could really say was they’re pushing dirt around. Now, however, they’ve started putting up walls for Wal-Mart, as seen in this photo. It was taken on August 24 from the road behind the store (off Monticello Road). Opening date for both Wal-Mart and Lowe’s is still scheduled for Spring 2009.

Also, in response to requests, I’ve started a Northridge Commons photo page on my Flickr account. There’s only a few pictures there now but I’ll keep it updated as work progresses. A big thanks to Daniel for sending me photos he’s taken as well.

Road construction at Monticello Road for Northridge Commons. According to the DOT website there will be construction on both Monticello Road and 25/70 for “an entrance to the new business at the corner of US 25/70 and Monticello Road (SR 1727). The construction will involve constructing an access for the business on Monticello Road (SR 1727) and Turn Lanes on US 25/70 and Monticello. Motorists can expect delays intermittently during the turn lane and entrance construction.” End date for the construction is listed as October 1, 2008.

I’m told the Weaverville Tribune has an article coming up in the next issue about the construction, so look for that on Thursday for more details.

Lowe’s announced yesterday it will delay the opening of about 20 new stores this year in hard-hit housing markets. No doubt this will fuel even more rumors about the Northridge Commons development, but according to this item in today’s Citizen-Times, Lowe’s spokeswoman Karen Cobb says plans for the Weaverville Lowe’s are unaffected.

I’ve had a few inquiries lately about what’s happening with Northridge Commons. The latest issue of the Weaverville Tribune has a front page article talking about that very thing, so if you’re curious about the details be sure to pick up a copy. The basics are this:

• Spring 2009 is the scheduled opening date.
• Both Wal-Mart and Lowe’s are still coming.
• Construction has slowed because they have to wait for Progress Energy to move power lines.

Often called the Wal-Mart development, the Northridge Commons Shopping Center is scheduled for completion in Spring of 2009, according to a billboard on 19-23/I-26 and the developers’ website. Thus far, Super Wal-Mart and Lowe’s are the only tenants listed for the development. For more information and to keep track of new tenants, here’s the property sheet for the center: http://www.carolina-group.com/propertyDetails.cfm?id=10. I did contact the developers last week to ask if the tenant list was going to be kept current on the website, but I have not yet received any reply.

Lowe’s recently released a press release about their new Weaverville location: http://lowes.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=1550

One last thing. There’s a rumour going around that Lowe’s is actually owned by Wal-Mart. I’ve found nothing whatsoever, online or off, to substantiate this. If someone has inside information I’ll be glad to pass it along, but it looks like the only thing these two companies have in common is their company colors.