Abercorn Common

Abercorn Common

Abercorn Common logo
Location	Savannah, Georgia, USA
Opening date	1968
Developer	Melaver, Inc.
Owner	Melaver, Inc.
No. of stores and services	13
No. of anchor tenants	3
Total retail floor area	169,000 square feet (GLA)
No. of floors	1
Website	Abercorn Common

Abercorn Common is a 180,000-square-foot (17,000 m²) shopping center in Savannah, Georgia. The center was the first retail center in the U.S. to become LEED-certified, meaning its design incorporates efficiency with attractive buildings and public spaces. The buildings and public spaces resemble Savannah's downtown historic district, with awnings, brick facades, fountains and brick-paved sidewalks. Palm trees, pampas grasses and willow trees are among the natural features. The shopping center dates back to the 1960s, when Abercorn Street was extended to form Abercorn Expressway. At the time, it was one of the first establishments on Savannah's southside, and now it forms the primary shopping corridor of Savannah. Located within several hundred feet are other major shopping centers, including: Oglethorpe Mall; Oglethorpe Plaza with its Best Buy and Office Depot; Chatham Plaza, with World Market, Ross Dress For Less, and hhgregg; and a K-Mart Shopping Center, which has a Red Lobster in its parking lot. Melaver, Inc. currently owns Abercorn Common [1]

History

Abercorn Common first began in 1968 as Abercorn Plaza. At a mere 38,000 square feet (3,500 m²), the southside Savannah shopping center would grow to nearly 180,000 square feet (17,000 m²). The center was originally anchored by M&M (Melaver and Melaver) Supermarkets. In the 1970s, the center was expanded to include Service Merchandise and Western Auto. Western Auto closed in 1990, leaving a vacancy for nearly 15 years. In 1985 the M&M Supermarket chain was sold to Kroger, but the Melaver family retained ownership of the buildings. While most stores were converted in the 1980s, several M&Ms stayed open as a separate banner under Kroger. The Abercorn Plaza location did not close until 1991. The reason this location was not converted to Kroger was due in part to a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m²) Kroger on nearby Mall Boulevard. The store, vacant barely a year, was converted into Books-A-Million and Michael's in 1992. Service Merchandise was downsized in the early 2000s and was split into two units. Service Merchandise kept the largest unit and HomeGoods moved into the other portion. Also in early 2000 Melaver Inc. returned to their sustainable roots. Sustainability in Savannah was nudged forth by Melaver when they renovated their downtown Whitaker Building and made it LEED-NC. Next came Abercorn Common Shopping Center. Service Merchandise left the area when the retailer began closing all of its stores in preparation for becoming a solely online retailer.

LEED

Under the LEED program, Abercorn Plaza was enlarged into a more energy-efficient center. Using such features as reflective roofs, water conserving appliances (i.e. sinks and toilets) and the use of low-volatile organic compounds (VOC) (i.e., paints and sealants), the center became LEED silver-certified. There is also a cistern located behind the building that holds 5.5 million gallons of water retained from the roof and parking lot. The water is treated and used for irrigation purposes. Eighty-five percent of construction and demolition debris was recycled. In some cases old bricks became pavers. Pavers were for sale that could have a person's name engraved into them in 2004. The money was donated to The Coastal Georgia Land Trust and the Savannah Tree Foundation. New center features front-end parking spaces reserved for hybrid-model cars only. McDonald's became LEED-Gold in September 2006 and is the first LEED McDonald's worldwide.

Post 2006 Renovation

The project began in 2004 with the demolition of Service Merchandise, Western Auto and Beneficial. Neighboring car dealerships were also purchased and demolished, while salvaging all building materials. RK Construction & Development Company, Inc (Ramsey Khalidi) who has been saving endangered historic building in Savannah and the surrounding area with particular expertise in desonstruction, stabilization, moving, reconstruction and renovation played an important part. The land area gained became a triangle at the intersection of three streets: Abercorn Expressway, White Bluff Road and Fairmont Avenue. The remaining shopping center was remodeled. New buildings were constructed including a Circuit City and more general-lease areas. Shops 600 came on line in early 2007 and was certified LEED-Silver. The next phase, which will expand the center to its maximum potential, is currently in the design phase.

Stores

• Books-A-Million
• Circuit City (recently closed along with all other Circuit City stores, as the company went under)
• F.P. Wortley Jewelers
• Firehouse Subs
• Grand Harbour Imports
• HomeGoods
• Lasik Plus
• Loco's Grill and Pub
• McDonald's
• Michael's
• MovieStop
• Oreck
• Panera Bread
• Smoothie King
• Riitz Salon: An Aveda Salon
• Sprint
• Ulta
• Wild Birds Unlimited

Sources

1. abercorncommon.com 2. Melaver.com