Troy, Birmingham prepare for Whole Foods move

Posted on August 30, 2017

TROY/BIRMINGHAM — Just as Birmingham welcomes the shining new Whole Foods Market on Maple Road, just east of Eton, Troy is making plans to fill the spot just down the street where the grocery retailer used to be.

The northeast corner of Maple Road and Coolidge Highway will look very different in coming months after the Troy Planning Commission approved plans to demolish an office building and build new retail stores on the site.

The Planning Commission unanimously approved the plans submitted by A.F. Jonna Development and Management Co. for Somerset Shoppes, although city staff and the Planning Commission asked for a number of items to be addressed administratively as the plans move forward.

Ben Carlisle, of Carlisle/Wortman Associates, described the items as a “laundry list of very small items … that were very minor. However, we do not feel comfortable recommending approval based on the number of conditions that were outstanding.”

The conditions include submission of building materials, adding transparency and visual interest to the west elevation next to Maple Road, replacing the tower on the east end of the former Whole Foods building with another building material, addressing traffic circulation concerns and submitting lighting plans.

Planning Commissioner Donald Edmunds said that the commission’s approval, despite the conditions requested, spoke to the past work of the developer.

“I know these people are a quality builder,” he said. “I think if the Planning Commission is comfortable, I would vote to approve, subject to administrative approval.”

Planning Commission Chair Ollie Apahidean said he is comfortable letting the conditions be addressed administratively.

Other projects the developer has completed include the Big Beaver Center, on Big Beaver Road, near McClure Drive; and the Palladium of Birmingham, near Woodward Avenue and Maple Road.

An employee from Whole Foods Market, which currently sits on the site, said the store plans to close Oct. 24 and reopen farther west on Maple Road, in Birmingham, the following day.

Jonna said that the retail center was built between 1963 and 1968.

“We wanted something very unique for the site. We feel it’s a very prominent site.”

He said they plan to find a new tenant for the Whole Foods building. Jonna said the development will be a “very good mix of restaurant and retail.”

“We do not have a replacement tenant for Whole Foods,” Jonna said. He said that all of the other six tenants plan to stay in the center.

The plans include over 56,000 square feet of retail space; a 190-seat, 8,000-square-foot restaurant; and a 10,250-square-foot fast food restaurant.

“Overall, we’re ready to get started on this project,” he said.

Plans include demolishing the office building on the site; expanding the Whole Foods building; constructing two new buildings — one on the east property line and Maple Road, and one at the corner of Maple Road and Coolidge Highway; reskinning and redoing the architecture of the retail building along Whole Foods; consolidating two curb cuts on Maple Road into one and adding a second curb cut on Coolidge Highway; and reconfiguring the parking lot.

The developer also asked for a parking waiver of 37 spaces.

“The applicant is making a very significant investment in the redevelopment of the site,” Carlisle said.

“I’m excited to see this redevelopment. It’s one of our gateways to our community,” said Planning Commissioner Philip Sanzica. “The office building is very dated.”

Troy Planning Director R. Brent Savidant said that it is unusual for the Planning Commission to approve a site plan subject to so many conditions. He said it was approved, in part, “because the developer is a quality developer with a really good history. The scope of the conditions were not very significant, and the Planning Commission had confidence in the staff (that) the conditions could be met administratively,” Savidant said.

As plans start percolating at the former Troy spot, anticipation is building for the opening of the store’s new location just within Birmingham’s borders. The new location doubles the Troy store’s space to about 46,000 square feet, with 250 parking spaces and a huge array of features inside.

“We look forward to the opening and anticipate it will be a well-visited business from the neighborhoods adjoining that area,” said Birmingham City Manager Joe Valentine.

Some residents in the area, though, are nervous that the popular retailer could draw large crowds — and heavy traffic.

Valentine said people can rest easy, though, because like any new property looking to open in Birmingham, the city’s Planning Commission carefully looked at and altered Whole Foods’ plans for the site, including surrounding traffic.

“As part of the process for the approval of the plan, these large projects include a community impact study with a traffic study, and based on the results of that, there were some modifications based on responses from the public as well as our traffic consultant,” he explained.

Notably, Valentine said, there were some configurations made to the timing of traffic signals at Eton and Maple roads in regard to turning times.

“That’s what we do with every project,” Valentine emphasized.