Uptown will be getting more than just a new grocery store when Central Market opens its doors on McKinney Avenue.

The supermarket will be part of a high-rise development planned for the block at McKinney and Lemmon avenues that will include offices, shops and restaurants.

Dallas developer KDC, which has built some of the largest office projects in North Texas, is teaming up with the San Antonio-based grocer and owners of the former Albertsons store on McKinney for the development.

"We see this project as the unifier between Uptown and what's going on in Cityplace and the West Village," said KDC president Toby Grove. "It's the best site available in that area of Dallas."

Since the Albertsons closed in 2015 and Central Market took over the long-term lease on the property, Uptown residents have been wondering when they'd get the popular grocery store.

Instead of just remodeling the existing building, Central Market will occupy the lower levels of a 19-story mixed-use project KDC plans for the high-profile Uptown block. Dallas architect Omniplan and San Antonio design firm Lake|Flato are designing the development, which will take up most of the 4.8-acre block between McKinney and Oak Grove.

"With everything going on in the neighborhood, we think it's the most amazing opportunity," Grove said. "It's going to be very well-connected with the DART rail station nearby and the streetcar that stops out front."

KDC plans to build a 2-acre public plaza on the roof of the Central Market that will have access to the office tower and shops and restaurants facing the elevated public space.

The planned mixed-use project will replace the Albertsons grocery store on McKinney Avenue, which closed in 2015. (File Photo / Staff)

"Central Market shoppers will have parking on two levels of garage on top of the store," said KDC executive vice president Walt Mountford. "On top of that, the amenity deck will have great views of downtown.

"It's going to be a great experience for both the retail users and tenants in the office building."

At the street level, the Central Market will stretch along the length of the block facing McKinney, replacing what is now a huge surface parking lot for the old grocery store.

"This will be largest store in Central Market's portfolio," Mountford said. "There will be a total of 150,000 square feet of retail in the entire project.

"This activates the entire street frontage, and it will be a great pedestrian experience."

The planned Uptown store will be Central Market's seventh location in Dallas-Fort Worth.

"H-E-B/Central Market is excited to be partnering with KDC on the development of this highly energized and significant property in Uptown," Stephen Butt, president of Central Market, said in a statement. "Our Central Market buyers have already begun to travel the globe in search of exciting products worthy of this unique urban location."

KDC will seek zoning changes for the Uptown block to allow construction of the development, including asking for an additional 85 feet in building height.

The 450,000-square-foot office tower is being made taller to allow for the plaza area on the south side.

The Office of James Burnett — the firm that did downtown's Klyde Warren Park — is designing the plaza and streetside landscaping.

"This will be the longest storefront on McKinney Avenue," said KDC senior vice president Colin Fitzgibbons. "The pedestrian experience should be great and a vast improvement over what is there today."

Because of the complexity of the project and underground parking that will be excavated on most of the block, construction will take more than two years.

The planned Uptown Central Market will be the fourth new urban grocery store in central Dallas to be combined with a high-rise building.

Whole Foods has an Uptown location on McKinney Avenue in the ground floor of an apartment tower. Tom Thumb has two new stores on the way in high-rise projects in Uptown and on downtown's near east side.

The McKinney Avenue Central Market project will also be the fourth major mixed-use development involving KDC:

The Dallas-based developer built the $1.5 billion CityLine project in Richardson, which includes retail, residential and offices for State Farm Insurance and Raytheon.



KDC is a partner in the $3 billion Legacy West development in West Plano that is home to office campuses for Toyota, Liberty Mutual Insurance and JPMorgan Chase and includes shopping, apartments and condos.



KDC is building the office tower in Deep Ellum's Epic development on the eastern edge of downtown, which includes an apartment tower, retail and a boutique hotel.