CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – Christiansburg Marketplace has exploded with new businesses the past couple of years. But that’s just the beginning.
“It’s grown like wildfire,” said Christiansburg Mayor Mike Barber.
He said the Marketplace is almost unrecognizable.
“The Marketplace was absolutely deserted. I think it had two businesses in it and had been that way for 15 years,” said Barber.
Now, it’s home to the grocery store Earth Fare, and restaurants like Mission BBQ, Chicken Salad Chick, Starbucks and more. Plus, there are places to work out, get your nails or hair done, and even go to the dentist.
The town worked with the developer and VDOT to secure $1.3 million to improve the entrance.
Barber estimates the current investment is $350 million. He says the developer has even bigger plans in store.
The goal is to build two hotels, a 130-unit senior residence complex, a rooftop restaurant and bar, and a doctor’s office.
Barber says it’s an economic engine for the area, bringing in $800,000 to $900,000 each year in tax revenue.
“I’d be crazy if I wasn’t in love with it,” said Barber. “It’s a mayor’s dream when you can sit as a mayor and watch a deserted shopping center blossom out over three or four years into what we think is going to be a real economic engine.”