The South Windsor Planning and Zoning Commission has approved a preliminary site plan for a new Whole Foods supermarket at the Evergreen Walk shopping center.
According to Town Manager Michael Maniscalco, the roughly 50,000-square-foot grocery store would be built on the site of what was once a Highland Park Market, along with two operating businesses, an Old Navy and Sakura Gardens, a Japanese restaurant. Old Navy and Sakura Gardens would be relocated to other available buildings within the Evergreen Walk development, Maniscalco said.
The planning and zoning commission approved the preliminary site plan last week and will next undertake an architectural review. The committee must sign off on a finished site plan before any work can begin.
Maniscalco said he is optimistic about the project and hopes the planned supermarket could help revitalize the shopping center after more than a year of pandemic-related business and occupancy restrictions and the broader erosion of brick-and-mortar retail in the face of e-commerce.
“This is kind of a big deal in terms of overcoming some of the retail challenges that Evergreen Walk has been facing for years,” he said. “Our hope is to breathe some life back into Evergreen Walk and make sure it continues to be a regional draw.”
Evergreen Walk, which is situated just off of Buckland Road near Interstate 84, has around 60 stores and restaurants, including L.L. Bean, Sephora, Talbots and Williams-Sonoma.
It is managed by Charter Realty of Greenwich, which just recently acquired Blue Back Square in West Hartford.
