By Danny Harrison

Published: May 7, 2008

Camellia Commons, a 157-acre retail community being planned for the south side of Enterprise, may bring 1,500 to 2,000 jobs, says developer Ben Viloski.
Viloski was joined by government, business and community leaders last week for a ceremonial ground breaking for the project, and he said he is getting a lot of positive feedback thus far.

He said the key at this stage in marketing Camellia Commons will be seeing Boll Weevil Circle four-laned in front of the project.

According to Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) officials, that work should begin soon, and it will span the distance between Hwy. 27 South and Hwy. 167 South. Viloski said his understanding is the road work would take around a year to complete.

“It will be a work in progress,” Viloski said, explaining Camellia Commons will be built in stages based on the portions of the retail community that are marketed and contracted first. The development is being designed to accommodate restaurants, a hotel, a bank and various retail stores toward the front, a 12-screen cinema in the middle and a variety of residential housing toward the rear of the property.

Early estimates point to a seven-year buildout.

Part of the marketing work, Viloski said, will be to convince retailers of Enterprise’s viability as a shopping destination for residents in surrounding counties. He said he believes the city is already proving itself to be a shopping destination for a much larger region.

“Enterprise is really the center of all the surrounding communities,” Viloski said. “We are the center of all that retail activity.

“I think that will only be enhanced,” he said.

Viloski said he can see people from 70 percent of the distance to Dothan preferring to travel toward Enterprise to shop once Camellia Commons is up and running. He said it would also naturally draw most of the people living on the other sides of the city.

The proximity to Fort Rucker, he said, is another big bonus, especially as military personnel have expressed a strong desire to see more of what Camellia Commons will offer in Enterprise.

Viloski said he looks forward to the day in the future when the community can look on a completed retail community, but he said the meantime will be filled with a lot of hard work.

“We need help from everybody. We can’t do this alone,” he said, noting the concept would not have gotten this far if not for people like Mayor Kenneth Boswell, other city officials, local business leaders, ALDOT and even Governor Bob Riley’s office.

One of Camellia Commons’ biggest fans may be Enterprise Chamber of Commerce President Phil Thomas, who says the retail community will help attract other positive growth in the city and surrounding area.

“A development of this size will be a major attraction,” Thomas said, explaining it will strengthen the city’s already strong appeal to retirees. He said it will also help attract larger corporations looking to bring employees to a vibrant town with the right balance of amenities.

Thomas also agrees with Viloski regarding Enterprise serving as what he calls a “micropolitan” city. Thomas said there are approximately 28,000 residents in Enterprise, but he said he has heard estimates as high as 189,000 when considering the number of people who are in some way served by the city.

Thomas said Camellia Commons will go a long way toward strengthening Enterprise’s service to those people. Viloski noted the city stands to benefit from the additional tax revenue.

The initial developer investment on Camellia Commons, according to Thomas, will be around $150 million. He said that number would potentially rise to around $650 million once retailers make their investments in the retail community.

“I can’t find any type retail development of that size in our history,” Thomas said. “This is going to be massive. It will really transform the south side of town.”

Thomas said he looks forward to a chain reaction around Enterprise.

“Once you have growth in one area, it spurs growth in another area,” he said.