Tanger Outlet in South Carolina no longer under water.

Project Manager Carl Close points out the impact resistant storefronts at the Tanger Outlet Hilton Head 1.(Steve Bisson/Savannah Morning News)

By Richard Brooks - Savannah Morning News

BLUFFTON, S.C. - While the Tanger Outlet Center 1 looks like a sea of brown mud, it's still on track for a grand "green" re-opening March 31.

"A year ago this would have been two feet deep in standing water," said Carl Close, Tanger project manager, during a rainy media tour.

Project engineer Jon Rembold of Ward Edwards pointed out state-of-the art stormwater management efforts that include paving that allows water to drain through and underground run-off retention.

"There's actually less runoff than if the site was covered with trees," Rembold said.

Stormwater runoff from the 25-acre site was one of the permitting issues when Tanger Factory Outlets Inc. decided to redevelop the property it acquired in December 2003.

The outlet mall on U.S. 278 about 13 miles from Exit 8 on Interstate 95 was built in 1987, before water quality in the surrounding estuaries became an issue and before Beaufort County even had a related ordinance.



Runoff from the mall had been redirected north under U.S. 278 into the Okatie River.

Now, runoff will be kept on site and allowed to percolate into the groundwater or be reused for irrigation.

Tanger Outlet Center 1 also will be the first LEED-certified shopping mall in South Carolina. LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is an environmentally-friendly building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Close said 100 percent of the concrete, steel and asphalt from the old Tanger mall was recycled.
"We recycled everything we possibly could," he said.

Building designs and materials emphasize energy efficiency, he said, and 79 trees from the old landscape were dug up and reused in the new layout or transplanted elsewhere.

Moving back

Close said he had to move 34 tenants out of the old 185,000-square-foot mall in December 2009 and some were reluctant to go.

"I had to give them a nudge," he said.

But the 25-year-old development had reached its life expectancy, said LaDonna Shamlou, general manager of the Tanger 1 and Tanger 2 centers between Bluffton and Hilton Head Island. She said the company invested about $50 million in the redevelopment.

"We pretty much leveled it and started all over," Shamlou said.

The new shopping center will be 177,000 square feet.

"It's a slightly smaller footprint" because more highway setbacks were required and part of the property was donated to Beaufort County for construction of the Bluffton Parkway, which will improve access to the site, Close said.

"The efficiency of the layout is much better," he said.

Shamlou said the new space is "92 percent leased" with "an exceptional lineup" of tenants.

Some are mainstays such as Brooks Brothers and J. Crew. Others, such as Talbot's and Under Armour, will be new to Tanger 1.

"Our brands are aspirational," said Mona Walsh, Tanger assistant vice president for corporate communications. "What we're offering is value."

Shop all day

Tanger outlet centers offer shopping as entertainment, Walsh said. "The difference in a full-price mall and an off-price mall is that we get people who shop for the whole day," she said. "They shop in groups." The typical shoppers are women who enjoy "the thrill of the hunt," Walsh said. "Women love to brag about the $200 shoes they got for $75," she said.

Tanger's strategy is to locate outlet centers at major travel intersections or near other destinations such as Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head, Walsh said.

"We're always looking for a convergence of population," she said.

"We are in areas where Americans take their vacations," she said. "Eventually, we become part of the attraction."

Tanger 1 at a glance

Location: 1270 Fording Island Road (U.S. 278), 13 miles from Exit 8 on Interstate 95

Size: 177,000 square feet
Stores: Bare Escentuals, Brooks Brothers Factory Store, Chico's, Children's Place, Donna Karan, Hugo boss, J. Crew, Jockey, Jones New York, Kay Jewelers, Kenneth Cole, Lane Bryant, Le Gourmet Chef, Levi's Outlet, New Balance, Nine West Outlet, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th, Sunglass Hut, Talbot's, Theory, Tommy Hilfiger Company Store, Under Armour, White House/Black Market.
Restaurants: Longhorn Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Panera Bread.
Economic impact: More than 350 full- and part-time jobs in retail management and sales; an estimated $1.8 million in annual sales tax revenue generated; an estimated $163,000 in annual property tax revenue generated; an estimated 1.7 million shoppers annually.