Atlanta developer Ben Carter Enterprises is looking to build something that has not been built in the area in more than a decade: a new outlet mall! Plans reviewed by ToNeTo Atlanta confirm that Ben Carter Enterprises (BCE), the firm originally behind the project today known as Buckhead Village District, is looking to build a new outdoor outlet mall just off I-85, along Poplar Road and Newnan Crossing Bypass in Newnan in Coweta County.
The outlet mall - "Georgia Outlets Newnan" - would come to a heavily wooded 60+ acre property on the opposite side of 85 to where Piedmont Newnan opened a new 217 bed hospital in 2012. The property is also about three miles from Ashley Park, a large mixed-use lifestyle center that includes a Dillard's, DSW, Best Buy, a 14 screen Regal Cinemas, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Barnes & Noble, among other tenants. The project opened in 2006, was followed soon after by a second phase, with a third phase reportedly being actively pitched by original developer Stan Thomas.
Despite the struggles Ben Carter Enterprises had in getting their ambitious Buckhead Village development off the ground, the firm has successfully developed or partnered in the development of several successful projects around Georgia and the southeast including Mall of Georgia in Buford, Tanger Outlets Savannah in Pooler, Columbus Park Crossing in Columbus and St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, among others.
According to planning materials, the Newnan outlet center is described as a "600,000 square-foot, mixed-use development project, encompassing lifestyle entertainment and outlet development and featuring best-in-class restaurants, shops and entertainment." A site plan for the project indicates there will be a 5 story, 116-key hotel, roughly 6,000 square foot gas station and convenience store, car wash, and small shop space in assorted outparcels along Poplar Road. The outlet mall will include more than 430,000 square feet of retail space plus an 80,000 square foot "anchor tenant" and a 50,000 square foot anchor property that looks a heck of a lot like a Topgolf. (If it does turn out to be Topgolf it would be the chain's fifth in Georgia joining those in West Midtown, Alpharetta, Buford and Augusta.)
For all that the center will offer, the project will also include roughly 2,800 surface level parking spaces.
The new outlet center would be the eighth large format, brand name outlet center in Georgia, but the first in the greater metro Atlanta area since the July 2013 opening of "The Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta" in Woodstock. The 50 acre, 370,000 square foot Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta was a joint-venture development between CBL Properties and Horizon Group Properties.
Ben Carter Enterprises, along with partner Tanger Factory Outlet Centers opened the 550,000 square foot, 175+ acre Tanger Outlets Savannah in April 2015.
Other outlet centers in Georgia include Sugarloaf Mills in Lawrenceville (SIMON), North Georgia Premium Outlets in Dawsonville (SIMON), Tanger Outlets Commerce in Commerce, Calhoun Outlet Marketplace in Calhoun (SIMON) and Tanger Outlets Locust Grove in Locust Grove.
Outlets like their retail sibling, traditional malls, are both facing increased competition from the likes of Amazon, Shein, and other e-commerce retailers. [CNBC published a video this week titled "Why Outlet Malls are Struggling In The U.S"] To combat this threat and to create more of a compelling reason to visit (and hopefully frequent) outlet centers (and malls) are adding new entertainment uses - like Topgolf - to lure customers to their properties in ways that online retailers can't match. The addition of things like gas stations, car washes, and assorted food options provides a variety of reasons for customers to find themselves coming to the property.
Marketing materials for the Newnan project indicate that there is a population of more than 1.5 million within a 30 minute drive with an average household income of $107,000. The center's "regional trade area" serves over 3 million, with an average household income of $125,000.
If all goes according to plan, Ben Carter Enterprises plans to open Georgia Outlets Newnan in Fall 2026.
Do you find yourself shopping at outlet malls more or less than in the past? What is your favorite outlet center in Georgia? What three stores do you look for most frequently when visiting an outlet center?
Please share your thoughts below.