Riverdale Park Whole Foods announces April 12 grand opening. It will become the first Whole Foods in Prince George’s County.
Located at 6621 Baltimore Ave., the new Riverdale Park Whole Foods store is expected to be just one of many chains to stake their claim in the booming Route 1 corridor.
The store has been designed and built to maximize self-service in all departments and will have expansive offerings of locally sourced and seasonal food and products.
“We’re excited to join Riverdale’s vibrant and growing community with the opening of our first Whole Foods Market in Prince George’s County,” explained Pia DaSilva, the store’s team leader. “The store will be a great addition to Riverdale and a new gathering place for the community.”
Community leaders have spent years trying to court upscale grocers. The Whole Foods grand opening shows the economic progress the county has made. The grocery store will join an upscale hotel and other retail stores in what the county is calling Riverdale Park Station. This 37-acre mixed-use development project will cost an estimated $250 million, but the county predicts it will collect $5 million in tax revenue from the project every year.
Area residents, however, have been less than pleased with the county’s efforts. The Riverdale Park Whole Foods was originally going open in early 2015, however public opposition, legal battles, and regulatory hurdles delayed the project for more than two years.
Whole Foods has also announced plans to open up stores in DC’s Shaw and Nationals Park neighborhoods, however those plans are just in their infancy.
Other upscale grocers have been expanding their District of Columbia footprint as well. Trader Joe’s is opening up its latest store in the fast-growing Union Market district. That store is expected to open in the second half of 2017. In Chantilly, Virginia, developers broke ground on a new Wegman’s in early March.