COURTLAND—The gravel construction site on Route 58 beside Food Lion has changed its expected date of completion from the spring of this year to early 2009.

Courtland Commons, an 8,400-square-foot site on Southampton Parkway, will house seven 1,200-square-foot suites, but only one of the suites has been leased, said George Fox from the Leasing and Development sector of Wheeler Real Estate Company, the company in charge of the development.

Fox said China House is the only “one on board” for the shopping center, but Hardees is also planned to open on the corner of the property. Hardees should be open before the actual shopping center.

Construction on the seven suites will not start until 50 percent of the leases have been signed. Wheeler Real Estate hopes to attract “service-type users,” including sandwich shops and a cleaner, which would benefit from the traffic along Route 58.

Courtland Commons is modeled after a similar shopping center developed by Wheeler Real Estate in Moyock, N.C. called the Shoppes at Moyock, which includes shops like The Java Deli, Navy Federal, KV Nails and Subway.

The base cost of leasing a unit at the new development is $18 per square foot, and, according to Fox, the units are expected to lease quickly.

“We know all the right players in the area,” he said.

Interested persons should contact Fox at Wheeler Real Estate’s office number, (757)627-9380 or can find out more information at the company’s Web site at www.wheelerint.com.