Outlet mall with dozens of shops proposed for South Anchorage

A local developer is taking steps to build an outlet mall in South Anchorage.

On a 27-acre swath of wetlands southwest of the intersection at 100th Avenue and C Street, the developer, JL Properties, is angling to provide 200,000 square feet of retail space for dozens of outlet shops.

The company originally bought the land last spring. From there, the question was what to do with it, said Leonard Hyde, one of the principals of JL Properties.

With little experience in the outlet business, the company looked to a group called Outlets of the Pacific, Hyde said. The group had been working to bring an outlet mall to Anchorage for several years, he said, but a large, well placed plot of land had failed to surface.

"It struck us that this one could be a possibility," Hyde said.

The location is across from Target and the Cabela's store now under construction.

The first phase of the development is estimated to cost about $70 million, Hyde said. The company is still weighing whether to commit to building an additional 200,000 square feet of space, which would be carried out in two phases.

Hyde did not say which name brands may be included in the mall. But he said the retail landscape will "look very similar to the new outlets you're seeing around the country."

Construction is scheduled to start next summer, headed toward an opening date of Oct. 1, 2015, Hyde said.

Anchorage has long awaited its first outlet mall. The malls are popular across the country for their big discounts on overstocked or undersold goods from the nation's largest retail chains.

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Outlet mall with dozens of shops proposed for South Anchorage