Fuqua Development cozies up to Kroger



A couple weeks removed from the announcement that Atlanta-based Fuqua Development was now partnering with Cincinnati, Ohio-based Kroger at their proposed 20-acre Glenwood Place development comes news they are also partnering with Kroger at their proposed 18-acre Lindbergh Place development near Buckhead. Both the Glenwood and Lindbergh projects were previously linked to Walmart Supercenter stores and were each met with substantial pushback and criticism from the surrounding neighborhoods.

If the deal goes though, this would mark the return of a grocery store to the Lindbergh area for the first time since Cub Foods closed in 2001. (Target in Lindbergh Plaza became a "PFresh" store a couple years ago and in doing so added some produce, meat and fresh-basked goods) The roughly 64,000 square foot Cub Foods was located in nearby Buckhead Crossing shopping center. The former Cub Foods space is today home to Bennie's Shoes, Office Depot and ROSS.

The Kroger at Lindbergh Place will reportedly be 82,000 square feet, a far cry from the roughly 150,000 square foot Walmart store previously proposed. The Walmart proposed at Glenwood Place would have been 143,000 square feet and according to a source within Kroger, theirs will be about 100,000 square feet.



Kroger is focusing on larger stores and has expanded or is in the process of expanding / remodeling a number of metro area stores. Stores at Toco Hill and Cherokee Plaza have already received updates while stores at Cofer Crossing in Tucker and North Decatur Square in Decatur are currently having work done.





The 18-acre Lindbergh Place center is surrounded by Lindbergh Drive, Morosgo Drive, Adina Drive and Piedmont Road. The development will replace both existing and previously demolished apartments and a few small businesses along Lindbergh Drive. The center's largest street frontage will be on Morosgo Drive where it will overlook Lindbergh Plaza, redeveloped by Sembler in 2007. Lindbergh Place will reportedly include a 3-acre "urban park."

The 20-acre Glenwood Place center was previously home to a Lafarge Building Material site and is situated alongside Bill Kennedy Way and Glenwood Avenue, near Grant Park. In addition to the Kroger, there is reportedly another 70-80,000 square feet of additional retail planned.

Interestingly, in the cases of both the Lindbergh and Glenwood projects, there are existing Kroger stores less than two miles away. Near the Lindbergh site there is already a Kroger, and a famous Kroger at that: the "Disco" Kroger at 3330 Piedmont Road. The 55,520 square foot "Disco" Kroger at Piedmont Peachtree Crossing was re-branded Kroger Fresh Fare a few years ago. Near the Glenwood site, there is an existing 62,000 square foot Kroger store at the Edgewood Retail District. Edgewood Retail District, as some may recall, was developed by Sembler, of which Jeff Fuqua was then president, in 2005.

According to sources within Kroger, neither upcoming store will be a Kroger "Marketplace" which reportedly average 115,000 square feet. I've visited the Kroger Marketplace in Carrollton and it's HUGE! Given the sizes of both stores it is likely however that both will feature an increased selection of higher margin, non-grocery items. Examples of merchandise likely to be carried would be small kitchen appliances and utensils, small household goods and an increased selection of school supplies.

Charleston, South Carolina-based Greystar is also proposing 188 "age restricted" "high end" apartments to be built adjacent to the Kroger at Lindbergh Place. The one and two bedroom apartments will reportedly be restricted to renters 55 and older. Both Fuqua's Morningside and Lindbergh projects were both previously liked to apartment developer Archstone, but are now being developed by Mill Creek Residential and Greystar respectively.