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| The new Kroger at Lindbergh Place |
Kroger to anchor new center
Ardent Commercial Realty and Fuqua Development plan to begin pre-construction work soon on their joint venture at Northside Drive & 17th Street near IKEA. The new development, close to but not part of Atlantic Station, will be anchored by an approximately 82,000 square foot Kroger grocery store. The Kroger will be similar in size and offerings to the recently opened Kroger at Lindbergh Place, another Fuqua project, near the corner of Piedmont Road and Morosgo Drive. Among the "premium" amenities expected to be included in the new Kroger are a Starbucks, beer/wine bar, "ClickList" grocery ordering, The Little Clinic and assorted prepared and customizeable meal options.
Avid readers of ToNeTo Atlanta will recall that earlier this summer I revealed Kroger's plans to expand their existing store at Howell Mill Square on Howell Mill Road. With the Howell Mill store less than two miles from the planned store at Northside & 17th, sources indicate that Kroger may have indefinitely tabled their expansion plans for the older store.
I contacted Glynn Jenkins, Public Relations Director for Kroger’s Atlanta Division, about the company's Northside and Howell Mill plans. In response to my inquiry as to the status of each project and whether both are still in the works, Jenkins responded by indicating "There is currently no timeline for the expansion of this project."
This past June, Jenkins' response to the Howell Mill expansion was "There is no timeline for the expansion of this project, as we continue to work through scope of work and layout of the store. The proposed expansion will add 25,000 square feet making the store approximately 83,000 sf."
The new verbiage seems to reflect a change in direction.
While Kroger may not be expanding, Chin Chin, one of two restaurants slated to move to make way for the expansion, has moved. The Chinese eatery reopened in their new space near Piccadilly, on the other side of the center, a few weeks ago. Mama Niki's Pizza, the other restaurant that would have been on the move, is still in place but reportedly has an existing lease that is due to expire mid next year.
Overall, the Northside & 17th project encompasses about 12.5 acres with the Kroger and its accompanying 14 pump fuel center occupying a significant portion of the project. The center is slated to also include a number of restaurants and retailers in adjoining and freestanding pads/outparcels. Given the center's proximity to Georgia Tech, Atlantic Station and the Westside, there is surely to be healthy interest from quick serve restaurants and assorted service providers eager to tap into the growing market.
Earlier plans to include residential units in the complex have reportedly been abandoned in favor of additional commercial development.
Before the 2008 financial crisis, there was talk of both The Home Depot and Costco opening stores on the property, but those plans were abandoned years ago. Another more recent plan was to relocate the current 100+ year old AMTRAK station from Deering Road and Peachtree Street to the property, but that too failed to materialize.
Walmart Supercenter, which opened in late 2006, anchors the District at Howell Mill, a Selig project beside the existing Kroger store. Walmart filed a permit with the city of Atlanta last month for renovations to its nearly 150,000 square foot store. The permit, which indicates the retailer will spend $1,000,000 in renovations, doesn't indicate any revolutionary upgrades or changes. Instead, it may be a competitive move by the retailer given the previously announced expansion of its neighboring Kroger and now the planned opening of a second large format Kroger nearby.
Sources indicate that the new Kroger should debut in early 2018.
What restaurants or retailers would you like to see open as part of the new Northside & 17th project? Do you think the new Kroger will give the Publix in Atlantic Station a run for its money? Do prefer large or small format grocery stores?
Please share your thoughts below.