Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Whole Foods Set to Open in Hyde Park in 2016

By Sam Cholke | February 12, 2014 7:51am
 The City Hyde Park development will include 182 apartments and a Whole Foods.
City Hyde Park Delay
View Full Caption

HYDE PARK — A Whole Foods executive said Tuesday its Hyde Park location won't be open until at least June 2016.

“These things are always fluctuating somewhat,” said Scott Saulsberry, vice president of Midwest operations for the upscale grocer, conceding the opening could be pushed back to September 2016.

Whole Foods will occupy 30,000 of the 110,000 square feet of retail space in the City Hyde Park development, a $114 million shopping center and apartment building designed by Studio Gang Architects.

Saulsberry said the grocer was trying to stagger its openings in the city, with the four former Dominick's locations opening next in 2015.

Allison Phelps, a spokeswoman for Whole Foods, said the opening date was based on the construction schedule worked out with the developer.

Developer MAC Properties in the fall pushed back delivering the project at 1525 E. Hyde Park Blvd. to Whole Foods to 2015 from 2014 while it worked to fill a $25 million funding shortfall with city and state tax incentives.

“We are on track to deliver the space to them in the summer of 2015, then it’s on Whole Foods to do the build-out and prepare the store for opening,” said Peter Cassel, director of community development for MAC Properties. “Our hope is they will open in 2016 as soon as they can.”

The Whole Foods spokeswoman said it normally takes the grocer 12 to 15 months to complete the interior work and product selection for a new store. She said amenities like a juice or wine bar have not yet been set for the Hyde Park location.

Cassel said permits to build the underground parking garage have been approved by the city and permits for the building are currently under review. He said MAC Properties expects to close on the construction loan in the coming weeks and work will begin in earnest in the spring.

Whole Foods is the only retail tenant currently committed to opening in City Hyde Park, Cassel said.