Last week, I made my first trip to the Prime Outlets mall in probably ten years. The outlet mall, across I-40 from the RDU airport, was a very popular place to shop in its prime (pardon the pun). It was also an even more popular place for RTP workers to grab lunch as there were very few restaurants in RTP for the longest time. It was obvious from last week’s visit, though, that times have changed for the mall. I was shocked at how empty it was, with storefront after storefront dark. Fortunately for me, my clothing store was still around but few other stores were.
Still, I was struck by how clean and tidy the mall was, in spite of its lack of tenants. It was obviously being well kept. There was no decline in its care. I told Kelly later that night that if I had a few million lying around, I would buy that mall. We agreed that the Triangle was a good market for an outlet mall.
Turns out someone beat me to it, someone with plans to make it the Triangle’s Chinatown.
MORRISVILLE — For all the amenities the Triangle has to offer, there’s one big-city attraction that remains conspicuously absent.
It’s Chinatown.
Now a developer is planning to rectify that by attracting a collection of Chinese businesses to the most unlikely of places – a nearly deserted outlet mall across Interstate 40 from Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
The $130 million project, which calls for two parking decks, a five-star hotel and a cultural center to be built on-site, would turn the Prime Outlets mall near the airport into one of the most colorful and distinct structures in the state.
“You’re going to know you’re in Chinatown,” said Mark Herman, CEO of Panda Properties Sino, the Durham company that has put the property under contract. “It’s definitely taking lemons and turning them into lemonade.”
While it’s an interesting idea, sinking $130 million into the mall might not be the most prudent use of money, particularly if the dramatic changes in the interior and exterior make it difficult to sell should the Chinatown idea not take off. It will be interesting to watch the upcoming changes, regardless.