National grocery chain Whole Foods Market has finally found its home on Capitol Hill.

The company announced it will open the 40,000 square-foot market in 2018 as part of a new 16-story apartment development planned for the 1000 block of Broadway near Madison.

It will be the ninth Whole Foods in Seattle, the company said.

“We have been interested in the Capitol Hill and First Hill communities or a long long time,” a company spokesperson tells CHS. “We couldn’t be more pleased about the location of the new store.”

In 2009, CHS reported on the Austin, Texas-cased company’s interest in Capitol Hill and rumors of a store opening on north Broadway.

The spokesperson said the 40,000 square-foot store qualifies as “extra medium” size in the spectrum of the company’s more than 400 markets around the world.

It joins a grocery environment dominated mostly by QFC with two locations on Broadway including one only a few blocks north of the planned development. Alternatives abound lead by E Madison’s Central Co-op, a CHS advertiser, and upstarts like the First Hill Stockbox.

In its announcement, the company cites the coming First Hill Streetcar line and proximity to First Hill’s hospitals and the nearby Seattle University as important factors in choosing the Broadway and Madison location. The company spokesperson said it’s too early to talk specifics like parking plans for the building.

While the area’s commerce leaders have wondered about the merits of attracting large chains to the Hill, the presence of “big box” retailers in the area remains relatively few and far between. Last December, an Office Max store opened on Broadway — but even that was a more compact variant of the office supply chain retailer.

The Whole Foods and apartment project will go through the city’s design review process in coming months. Listed at 1001 Broadway in the release, we are trying to confirm if the project will replace the medical building currently standing at that address and/or if it is destined to include this long-empty parcel. UPDATE: A spokesperson for developer Columbia Pacific Advisors tells CHS the new building is destined to replace the 1928-built, three-story masonry medical building currently at the site. The property is zoned for buildings up to 160-feet tall. The plan is to hold the first early design guidance session before the end of 2014. CHS has already reported on one tenant on the move.

UPDATE x2: Maybe you won’t have to wait for 2018…

The full announcement on the project is below.

Whole Foods Market Announces New Seattle Location to Serve First Hill, Capitol Hill Communities Seattle-based Columbia Pacific Advisors to develop 16-story mixed-use apartment project at Broadway and Madison St. with 40,000 sq.ft. Whole Foods Market Ideally located along the First Hill Streetcar line, Whole Foods’ ninth Puget Sound store scheduled to open in early 2018 BELLEVUE, Wash., (November 6, 2014) – Whole Foods Market announced plans for its ninth Puget Sound location, which will serve Seattle’s First Hill and Capitol Hill communities as part of Columbia Pacific Advisors’ new 16-story, mixed-use development. Located at 1001 Broadway, the new 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market will serve as the retail base for the project, with approximately 300 apartments featured above the store. Located along the First Hill Streetcar line, within one block of Swedish Medical Center’s First Hill campus and Seattle University, the new Broadway Whole Foods Market will create an estimated 150 new jobs, in addition to about 500 temporary construction jobs. “We are excited to share our mission and values with each of these neighborhoods and look forward to serving as a resource as the communities plans for a healthy and sustainable future,” said Joe Rogoff, Regional President for Whole Foods Market in the Pacific Northwest. “Creating jobs, supporting local producers and finding opportunities to partner with area schools and non-profits are core to our philosophy and practices, and we’re eager to introduce this in the First Hill and Capitol Hill communities. We look forward to serving this neighborhood by providing a wide selection of natural and organic food, sustainable seafood, humanely raised meats and housemade prepared foods and bakery items. And now, more than ever, we’ll be pleased to share our extensive selection of non-GMO products and commitment to transparency.” Whole Foods Market announced signing a lease with an affiliate of Columbia Pacific Advisors for the newest Puget Sound location during its fourth quarter earnings call on Wednesday, November 5. “It was important for us to find a retailer that would activate this half-block site with an amenity that supports the First Hill neighborhood’s priorities, as well as complement the needs of Capitol Hill and Madison Park residents and workers,” said Todd Seneker, Managing Director at Columbia Pacific Advisors. “Whole Foods is a great partner for this location. We’re able to put a community-focused retailer and new apartments right in the middle of a dense urban neighborhood – all within walking distance of thousands of jobs and a new streetcar line.” Once complete, Whole Foods Market will provide local shoppers with a wide selection of natural, organic and local products. Under one roof, the new store will provide Seattle shoppers with a community butcher, fishmonger, baker and a team of chefs creating prepared take-out meals. Shoppers can look forward to fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, specialty items, high-quality meats and poultry, everyday pantry staples and sustainable seafood. The scratch bakery will provide a variety of breads and pastries, made fresh daily, and the prepared foods department offers options for lunch, as well as quick meals for dinner. Whole Foods Market has been ranked on Fortune magazine’s list of “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America since the list began in 1998. The company’s quality standards are outlined online at www.wholefoodsmarket.com.