Cary's Waverly Place? Will it be the next North Hills?

The Triangle Business Journal reports that the "beleaguered Waverly Place retail complex" may be transformed into a version of the North Hills mixed use development that is off Six Forks Road in Raleigh. The owners of Waverly Place, a Durham development firm, is making final adjustments to its plans to redevelop this once thriving retail center. Todd Zapolski, president of Zapolske & Rudd, the firm that owns the shopping center, reports that he is a few weeks away from filing plans for the center. However, he would not divulge any plans until he has spoken with Cary town leaders.
Zapolski confirms that they have been talking with a few different architecture firms and they are "trying to do interesting things." "The challenge has been keeping the good people there knowing we're going to have to do major surgery."
Currently, the center has about a 43 percent vacancy rate. Built in 1987, the 181,500 square feet of retail space was very architecturally appealing, but not very shopper friendly. Its design was intended to encompass and revolve around a multi-story office building which was never built. Some major renovations and remodeling is needed to draw customers into such a competitive retail environment.
The Kane Realty Corporation has truly developed a "Midtown district" that inspires people to come to live and work, shop and dine, while enjoying the relaxing environment. Since its insception, the North Hills has attracted some of the most prestigious stores from other areas of the city to relocate their operations here. In many situations, their entire operations such as Cameron Clothing Store which had been at Cameron Villiage for years until recently when it moved into North Hills as a second location. Then a month ago, closed its Cameron Viliage location and expanded its North Hills location. Other notable tenants include Jolly's and Liles. Jolly's also moved from Cameron Villiage and is a premire jewelry store that caters to the very refined and exacting jewelry shopper. Liles is an upscale men's clothing store which relocated into North Hills about a year ago.
It will still be determined the extent to which the Waverley Place can redesign itself and if it compares to the ambiance that is North Hills.