Whole Foods Considering Move for First Philadelphia Store
Sep. 20–Whole Foods Market is eyeing greener pastures for its first Center City store at 20th and Callowhill streets.
David Grasso, president and CEO of Metro Development, confirmed that he is negotiating with Whole Foods to move into the ground level of a condo tower he plans to build at 16th and Vine streets.
“It’s likely that we will work a deal out with them, but it’s not done yet,” Grasso said.
Grasso refused to discuss details about the proposed tower, since he has not yet met with community groups in the Logan Square area.
Officials at Whole Foods could not be reached for comment.
The current Whole Foods location is immediately behind the Juvenile Justice Center. The juvenile detention center will soon vacate the site to make way for the coming of the Barnes Foundation museum.
Whole Foods, then known as Fresh Fields, made its Philadelphia debut there in 1997. At the time, the 30,000-square-foot store was among the Boston-based chain’s largest locations.
Today, the successful market has outgrown its space inside and out.
Sheldon Stein, president of New York-based ValHal Corp., which owns the Whole Foods site, knows the market wants more space. However, Stein was surprised to hear his tenant is shopping for a new location.
Stein said ValHal had discussed expanding the existing market. The plan was to build an underground garage, beneath the current 236-car parking lot, and expand the store over the garage, and top it with apartments, Stein said.
Stein could not say what happens to the site if Whole Foods moves out.
The area could be headed for a severe parking crunch with the coming of the Barnes Foundation and the $120 million expansion of the Central Free Library in the next block. The Central library addition will eliminate a 175-car lot facing Callowhill. The library said it has no plans to replace the lot, which is heavily used by patrons and employees of the Central Library and other businesses in the area.
At the same time, Tivoli, a new 114-unit condo and townhome development on 19th just north of Callowhill, is likely to bring about 200 more residents to the area. While the condo owners will have on-site parking, their visitors won’t.
Joe Hare, chief operating officer of Granary Partners, on 20th just north of Callowhill, is considering a project that could offer some relief.
The architectural firm, headquartered in a former grain elevator, is planning to replace a 121-car lot facing Callowhill with a mixed-use project that would include a multi-level garage, Hare said.
But there’s no rush, given the financial hurdles that must be overcome by the library and the Barnes before they can start construction, Hare said.
“If all of these plans fall through and more parking is built, it [the parking] will sit idle,” Hare said. “There are not a whole lot of people willing to take that kind of risk until they see the glass get a little less clouded.”
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