Marcel Commons, a retail center developed by The Marcel Group in The Woodlands, is set to bring more shops, restaurants and medical options to residents of Conroe and The Woodlands.

The 54,583-square-foot center is located northeast of Carriage Hills Boulevard and FM 1488 on 5 acres of land. Marcel Group CEO Vernon Veldekens said the retail center expects to have some tenants open their stores by the end of this year, with 100 percent of tenants moved in by February.

Veldekens said tenants for the center include day care Adventure Kids, restaurants, such as Noodle House, Sammy’s Grill and Zamani Grill, and medical services such as Signature Smiles dentistry.

“This is going to be the main sight as you drive west on FM 1488 and [along] the back side of The Woodlands—this whole area needs more restaurants and service-oriented businesses,” he said.

Mark Verret, president of the Verret Group—the architecture firm working on the project—said the center has seen a large response from interested tenants and thinks that once the center has opened, a large number of residents will be drawn in as well.

“We’ve seen a tremendous response from businesses that want to be in the center,” he said. “There is a high percentage of preleasing that has already taken place. Once opened, I think we’ll see a big response from residents as well since there is a really nice mix of high-end retail here.”

Verret said the design of the center is envisioned to be contemporary and cutting edge to appeal to the market, attracting more customers to the area.

“The FM 1488 corridor is trending to be the next big retail corridor,” he said. “With the traffic we’re seeing and looking at other prominent intersections in the area, this was the ideal place for Marcel Commons.”