The Freedom Drive retail exodus appeared irreversible after Target closed its Freedom Mall store in 1995.

But a year later Ericsson Stadium opened uptown just off West Morehead Street - a key connector between Freedom Drive and Interstate 85 on the west side.

Now things are looking up for what once was one of the city's most threatened urban corridors.

It's difficult to pinpoint direct cause and effect, but negative perceptions began to fade as sports fans headed to the stadium exited off improved interstate ramps and rediscovered one of the oldest gateways to the center city.

Restaurants, retailers, and even some light-industrial employers began to view the traffic count and the accessibility as a plus for doing business on the west side.

The newest restaurant to commit is one of Freedom Drive's most enduring. Pizza Hut will vacate its current building and move to a new one on Freedom about three blocks closer to Interstate 85.

That will help the pizza chain attract motorists coming off the interstate, said partner Will Whitley of New South Properties of the Carolinas.

Real estate broker Dale Hall of New South put together a deal that will enable Pizza Hut to construct a building exceeding 3,000 square feet on about an acre of vacant land between the Walgreen Drug Store at 3521 Freedom Drive and the State Employees Credit Union at 3201 on Freedom Drive.

New South owns the parcel and will lease the land under it long term to the restaurant. Construction is expected to start in January and be completed in June.

"Freedom Drive is on an upswing; we're bullish," Whitley said. "We're already looking at some other deals out there."

More examples: the Eckerd drug store on Freedom has expanded. McDonald's will rebuild on its site. And Pridemore Development Co. plans a 77,300-square-foot center with Bi-Lo as anchor on Ashley Road not far from Winn-Dixie-anchored City View at Ashley Road and Alleghany Street.

"What we are seeing are the neighborhood service uses coming back," Whitley said. "What we're lacking now are the big-box retailers, who would make a huge change in that market."

Last summer, Media Evolved, a company that duplicates and packages compact discs, leased more than 31,000 square feet at Freedom Mall. It eventually expects to create more than 30 jobs for people who live in the area.

And about a year ago, Fresenius Medical Care North America converted an 11,000-square foot Freedom Drive building formerly used as a movie theater and a nightclub to a dialysis center.

Studies of the corridor recommend a mixture of uses, creating jobs and services for the west side, and neighborhood leaders believe that's a logical approach.

About 11/2 years ago, Aldi, an Illinois discount grocery chain, opened a 15,000-square-foot store at Freedom Drive and Camp Greene Street.

And in late 1999, Klingman Williams Inc., an office furniture company, made a big investment in the west side with the $1.55million purchase of an 82,000-square-foot distribution warehouse at 1949 Freedom Drive.

Whitley specializes in finding frontage parcels on major arteries for clients ranging from Chick-fil-A to First Citizens Bank, and he plans to continue scouring Freedom Drive.

His firm, with Dale Hall as the broker, actually is doing a second deal with Pizza Hut.

New South bought the old Boston Market restaurant on Albemarle Road at Farm Pond Lane, and Pizza Hut will renovate the building for a 4,000-square-foot restaurant to open in the summer.