The aging Camelot Shopping Center at Westport Road and Herr Lane is set to undergo a major renovation beginning in late spring.

Developers unveiled preliminary plans for the shopping center at a public meeting held at the nearby Episcopal Church Home on Dec. 6.

The plan calls for adding facades to both sides of the center, which sits on 15.1 acres, and making it into a "town center" with fountains, landscaping and outdoor seating, said David Presnell Jr., president of the Presnell Design Group, which is responsible for the planning, design and execution of the project.

"We'll actually have a center with two fronts," said Presnell.

Other facets of the plan include adding a new entrance at Herr Lane and Abbeywood Road, adding second-floor offices to some parts of the center and erecting a new building in the parking lot along Lyndon Lane.

The name of the center tentatively is set to be changed to the Villages of Camelot, and square footage will be increased from about 150,000 to about 180,000, said Presnell.

Of the space currently available, about 93,000 square feet, or 61 percent, is leased.

Presnell said that Camelot, built in 1969, is "just a very ugly building," and that the renovation will "restore it far beyond what it was initially."

The center is owned by Camelot Acquisitions LLC, a group whose major entity is Underhill Associates, but in which Presnell and his son, David Presnell III, also have stakes. Total investment for the project will exceed $15 million, said Presnell.

Seventeen businesses currently are operating in Camelot, including Subway, Mr. Gatti's, Jade Palace, PNC Bank, Curves for Women and Knight of Swords fencing studio. The center is anchored by Buehler's Fresh Market, which bought out Winn-Dixie in October.

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