'Showpiece' shopping center under construction on Mile Hill Drive

The completion along Mile Hill Drive and the South Kitsap Mall is about to change.

Real Assets Property Services, Inc., a Seattle-based real-estate company run by Adam Simon and David Aron, purchased the vacant lot on the left-hand side of the mall and are building a 12,000-square foot shopping center.

The center will feature six to eight stores and a design that Simon said is different than the traditional strip mall.

“It’s a very unique Northwest design that we worked very hard on,” he said. “I think it’s a real show piece for what people can do when they put a little time into retail architecture.”

Simon said he hopes to talk with “businesses who might be interested in relocating to a more sophisticated location,” which is part of the reason why he likes Mile Hill Drive.

“I felt that Mile Hill was the major artery in Port Orchard,” he said. “In the past several years it’s suffered a bit because of expansion in other areas. It’s a logical place to keep updated. It’s one of the major travel routes.”

He said the stores, which will be completed in the spring, feature “vaulted ceilings and a lot of natural light.”

The center can feature a variety of businesses as the spaces range from 1,200 to 4,000 square feet.

“We would love to have a restaurant and other community services,” he said. “We want a place where the community can come and congregate.

“I think retail is a very important component of our lives. Oftentimes, it’s done so poorly that it doesn't allow people to appreciate the experience.”

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