Recently,
Whole Foods publicized its plan to open up a 38,000-square-foot grocery store in a development on the site of the old Jaguar car dealership in downtown Minneapolis, which is a highly-visible “gateway” into the city.
The $70 million mixed-use development will also include 287 luxury apartments from
Ryan Companies. in partnership with the
Excelsior Group, the
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports. (Read a previous story from
The Line here.)
The natural and organic foods supermarket, which started in Austin, Texas in 1980, will include a separate liquor store that will carry a line of specialty beers and wine. It'll open next year on the building’s ground floor, the company announced in a prepared statement.
Joanne Kaufman, who leads the
Warehouse District Business Association in downtown Minneapolis, says that many community members are in favor of the project as a whole. “We’re happy to see what’s been an empty block for a long time get something in there,” she says.
About Whole Foods in particular, she says, “I think it’ll have great impact,” adding, “It’ll be great for the neighborhood and draw more people.”
Plus, there’s long been a demand for a grocery store downtown, especially from the many downtown-ers who’ve given up their cars, she adds.
Whole Foods, which has several Twin Cities locations, is also adding stores in Edina and Minnetonka.
Michael Bashaw, the company’s Midwest regional president, underscores in a prepared statement that the Twin Cities is an area of growth for Whole Foods. “We’re extremely excited to expand our offering of natural and organic products to an even greater customer base,” he says.
Source: Whole Foods, Joanne Kaufman, Warehouse District Business Association
Writer: Anna Pratt