ShopRite to anchor shopping near Riverfront
Buccini/Pollin to break ground next month at Howard Street site
By MAUREEN MILFORD, The News Journal
Posted Wednesday, December 13, 2006
An artist's rendering of the 125,000 square-foot center to be anchored by a ShopRite. The supermarket would employ about 70 full-time workers and open in 2008.
Buccini/Pollin Group
Aerial view of the development site, in the center of the photo, between Market Street on the left and Walnut Street on the right.
A major developer announced plans Tuesday to build a $25 million community shopping center in Wilmington on the south side of the Christina River, within walking distance of the newly built Christina Landing residential community.
A ShopRite supermarket will anchor the 125,000-square-foot center to be built by Buccini/Pollin Group Inc. on Howard Street, between South Market and South Walnut streets. The 80,000-square-foot supermarket will include a 7,000-square-foot pharmacy and drug store. The developer plans to break ground next month.
"It's going to completely change the character of that area, which has been industrial and junkyards," said Michael S. Purzcyki, executive director of the Riverfront Development Corp., which is selling 8.5 acres of land to Buccini/Pollin for the shopping center site. "All of a sudden you've got a big shot in the arm economically and visually."
When the supermarket opens in January 2008, it will be the first new grocery store in downtown Wilmington in more than 20 years. The market is expected to employ about 70 people full-time and about 140 people part-time.
Wilmington-based Buccini/Pollin is finalizing a 20-year lease with Delaware Supermarkets Inc. in Stanton, which owns three ShopRites in New Castle County.
Richard Kenny, co-owner and chief financial officer of Delaware Supermarkets, said his company, which is controlled by the Kenny family, considers the new store "a great opportunity." The company has been looking in the city for a supermarket location for about five years. Studies have shown that roughly half the food dollars spent by city residents are spent outside the city.
"Wilmington is an underserved area, so we're excited about it," Kenny said.
Delaware Supermarkets also plans to move its headquarters to the site in early 2008, said Dan Tanzer, director of administrative services with Delaware Supermarkets.
Robert E. Buccini, a partner with Buccini/Pollin, said he has been trying to land ShopRite for about six months. That lease was needed to make the shopping center viable. It's estimated the supermarket will bring 30,000 customers a week to the center.
Buccini/Pollin also had to negotiate with the Riverfront Development Corp. for the land. The corporation has been assembling the parcel for several years, Purzycki said. On Friday, Buccini signed an agreement to buy the land for $3.5 million, Purzycki said.
"This is really a milestone date in the history of the city of Wilmington," Buccini said. "I'm as happy about this than anything I've done in the city of Wilmington because we're bringing needed services to the community we're developing. This will just add to the momentum."
Buccini/Pollin is the developer of Christina Landing and Justison Landing residential projects on the Riverfront, which total about 1,300 condominiums, town houses and apartments.
"It's critically important for people who want to live there to have services," Purzycki said. "Otherwise, it's way too much of a hike. You have to go all the way out [U.S.] 13 or up [U.S.] 202."
Buccini said other possible tenants for the shopping center include a bank, coffee shop, restaurant, apparel stores, a salon and a fitness center.
Plans call for Howard Street to be realigned to the south of the shopping center site.
John Rago, city communications director, said the city also is committed to sewer improvements and traffic lights.
"Everybody wants one sweeping project to change everything -- all the negatives that we face, just get them out of the way," said Mayor James M. Baker. "But it takes all these little things to make it happen."
Prev
ShopRite to anchor shopping near Riverfront
Linear Mode
