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Wegmans Food Market plans store in new project

Upscale supermarket chain targets Frederick County

Thursday, June 29, 2006

A Wegmans Food Market may be coming to Frederick County soon as part of a proposal that includes a Lowe’s Home Improvement store, a bank and smaller retail stores and restaurants at the intersection of Route 26 and U.S. Route 15.

The plans are part of an annexation application from FCD-Development LLC of Charlotte, N.C., and the owners of the 37.5-acre parcel at that intersection.

FCD-Development wants to begin construction on the 359,000-square-foot retail space in 2007, with an opening set for mid-2008, according to city documents.

Plans call for a 135,000-square-foot Wegmans Food Market, an upscale supermarket chain that offers takeout and in-store dining, a gourmet deli and cheese shop, bakery, international foods and other features.

Wegmans, based in Rochester, N.Y., is in negotiations with FCD-Development, according to Wegmans media director Jo Natale.

‘‘We are negotiating ... but have not yet reached a final agreement,” Natale said. ‘‘However, we do anticipate doing so in the near future.”

Wegmans, which already operates one store in Maryland — in Hunt Valley — recently announced plans to open two more in the state by 2009 — in Landover and near Annapolis. The company has other locations in Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Richard Griffin, Frederick’s director of economic development, recently toured a Wegmans store in Dulles, Va.

‘‘One of the things we have heard most frequently from the public has been the desire for a high-end specialty foods grocery store,” Griffin said. ‘‘Obviously, Wegmans meets that description, and is a highly renowned store that we would welcome into our community.”

The total assessed value of the retail space, according to the developer, is estimated at $41.5 million. The proposed development would potentially generate a 799 full-time jobs, according to FCD’s application.

The property is in Frederick County and is zoned limited industrial. FCD-Development wants the land to become part of the city of Frederick and be zoned as general commercial.

The annexation application goes to Mayor W. Jeff Holtzinger (R), who will introduce it at a public meeting. The process can take from three to five months, said city planner Joe Adkins.

The first Wegmans in Maryland opened in Hunt Valley in 2005. The store has since announced a 130,000-square-foot Landover store, scheduled to open in late 2008, that will have about 700 employees, according to Ralph A. Uttaro, Wegmans’ senior vice president of real estate development.

Also, Wegmans agreed to build a 140,000-square-foot store to anchor the mixed-use Waugh Chapel Village South, an addition to The Village at Waugh Chapel in Anne Arundel County. The store, with some 700 employees, is scheduled to open in 2009.

Wegmans is eyeing Montgomery County, but has no immediate plans there, Uttaro said.

Staff Writer Marcus Moore contributed to this report.