The developer of Midlothian Depot recently secured the 13-acre site for the upcoming development, which is expected to feature a Whole Foods store and 60 townhomes. (BizSense file)
Whole Foods has set its sights on the corner of Midlothian Turnpike and Alverser Drive for what’s expected to be its first store in Chesterfield County.
The grocery store chain has signed on as the anchor tenant of the upcoming Midlothian Depot project from Atlanta-based developer SJC Ventures.
SJC principal Jeff Garrison last week confirmed Whole Foods’s long-rumored involvement in the project and said his company plans to break ground on the sizable mixed-use development this week.
In addition to a 36,000-square-foot Whole Foods, Midlothian Depot will also feature additional retail space alongside dozens of townhomes on a 13-acre site.
It’s unclear when Whole Foods plans to open the new store. A company spokeswoman didn’t respond to a request for comment. The grocer currently has two stores in the region, one in West Broad Village in Henrico and the other in Sauer Center in the city.
SJC had previously announced in September that it had secured a “premier organic grocery anchor” for Midlothian Depot however it didn’t directly name Whole Foods at the time. Many SJC developments include Whole Foods as an anchor, such as The Marketplace At Tech Center in Newport News as well as out-of-state projects.
Confirmation of Whole Foods’s involvement follows SJC’s $16 million purchase last month of the five-parcel project site that includes 951 Alverser Drive, 11621 Old Buckingham Road and 11706 Midlothian Turnpike.
The project site is currently mostly wooded except for three buildings that front Midlothian Turnpike. The assemblage’s assessed value is $4.3 million, per online land records.
Andrew Thacker and Larry Agnew of S. L. Nusbaum represented the developer in the land acquisition.
The main seller in the deal was the Haywood and Claudette Hyman Family Limited Partnership, which owned most of the land; a half-acre was owned by Shirley Waller, Donna Hulshoff and Carol Waller, per property records.
Midlothian Depot is currently planned to feature a total of 87,000 square feet of commercial space across five buildings, a little under half of that to be occupied by the grocery store.
Garrison estimated the project cost at $100 million, of which more than $70 million is tied to development of the center’s commercial section.
Falls Church-based firm L.F. Jennings is the project’s general contractor. Atlanta-based Dynamik Design was tapped as architect.
SJC anticipates it will start to deliver commercial shell space to tenants in the third quarter of 2026, with the development slated to open in the second quarter of 2027, according to a leasing flyer.
Garrison said that furniture store Lovesac and optometry chain MyEyeDr. will be among the tenants at Midlothian Depot, in addition to others he wasn’t ready to announce.
“We have a number of people we’re talking to and leases that will come together, but there still is room,” he said.
Bryan Davis and Ray Schupp of H&R Retail handle leasing for the project.
A December 2024 site plan of the Midlothian Depot project, which is planned to feature 87,000 square feet of retail space and 60 townhomes. (County documents)
On the residential side, Midlothian Depot is expected to feature 60 townhomes.
The project’s townhomes are described as “luxury” units with garages, according to a news release about the project from late last year. Garrison said a developer has been identified to handle the townhomes but he declined to name the firm at this time.
The project’s commercial development would rise closer to the Midlothian Turnpike and Alverser Drive intersection, while the townhomes would be built closer to Old Buckingham Road. The development would have vehicular access on all three roadways, per a December site plan for the project.
Greenspace and a dog park are also planned.
Midlothian Depot has been in the works for several years and has evolved over time. The project previously featured several hundred apartments in addition to the planned townhomes.
The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors OK’d the latest version of the project last year, following the rezoning of the land for the initial iteration of the project in 2022.
Looks to be a good project and win for Chesterfield but isn’t their a significant (or at least measurable) ravine/natural topo drainage area behind on the left side of that parcel. PS I wonder of the old Trade Center sign will go away or just be redone. I do not think CC allows retails signs that tall anymore.
Hopefully the sign is replaced. Looks to be from mid-80s. I doubt Whole Foods would like the sign
Wegman’s is right across the street I think.
Just what Chesterfield needs. More unaffordable housing and traffic congestion on Midlothian.
Organic means pricey
I am happy about it. I am in that area several times per week and the sales that Whole Foods offers for Prime members are pretty good.