A couple of the erstwhile businesses in the Shoreview-Ferndale shopping center.

A couple of the erstwhile businesses in the Shoreview-Ferndale shopping center. The Antioch Church is on the east end of the strip.

The 4-acre shopping center at Ferndale and Shoreview, slightly north of Northwest Highway, has one remaining tenant, Antioch Community Church, but the pastor tells us they are leaving soon.

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Pastor Zach Daniel gives the reason for leaving as, “the congregation has outgrown the space.”

They will move to a larger center at the Catholic Charities building on the 1-635 service road, he says, adding that the timeline is loose (and he’d love for you to visit some Sunday).

This shopping center is owned by Stuart Jones LLC, since he bought it with plans for a mixed-used development in 2008. He successfully applied to rezone the land to Planned Development 779 — that allows for everything from multifamily and single family residences to ambulatory services, nursing home, schools, alcoholic beverage establishments (that would require a special use permit) and other types of restaurants and entertainment facilities.

The LLC back then tried to buy White Rock Skate Center, adjacent to said shopping center, but at the time the White Rock Skate Center owner did not want to sell the nearly 40-year-old-family business.

Still, the skating rink, was part of a 2009 rezoning request filed by “prospective owner” (Jones) approved in 2009. Nearby TDECU property was included in the request. Staff of the credit union passed me along to their public relations department, and I have not heard back regarding the bank’s continued occupation at their space just south of the rink.

Of course we all know by now that rink owner Chuck Connor and his co-owning wife recently did decide to retire and sell, at an undisclosed sum.

Connor also says he has no idea what will become of the rink or the surrounding area. Pastor Daniel knows nothing about Jones, other than that he is a good landlord, or his plans for the property, he says.

We have called and emailed Jones a couple times, and hope to hear back from him soon.

We do know this is the planned development allowances for the 4 acres, which now also covers the White Rock Skate property — PD 779; makes for some interesting reading while we wait.