The property at Woodland Town Center where an Aldi grocery store could open by September near Panera Bread and Aubrey’s between South Illinois and South Purdue avenues.
The new grocery store that could open on South Illinois Avenue by September could be an Aldi, a developer said Friday.
The 15,800-square-foot store would be on 1.6 acres at Woodland Town Center, where the new Aubrey’s and relocated Panera Bread opened in October. It would be across from those two restaurants, on the other side of a new roadway called Woodland Terrace East.
The land where Aldi would be located is owned by Walter Wise and Terry Wheeler of Central Park Development.
A Knoxville developer, Wise said he and Wheeler are still negotiating the final arrangements with Aldi.
Although there are some technical details to work out, the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission has approved a preliminary planned unit development and rezoning for the project, and the City Council is expected to consider it in the first of two readings in February.
“I think it will go well,” Wise said. “I think it will be a good addition to the city.”
A new, larger Panera Bread and a new Aubrey’s restaurant opened at Woodland Town Center on South Illinois Avenue in October.
Aldi is an international discount grocery store chain that has more than 1,000 stores in 31 states in the United States. The stores carry items from fresh produce and meat to bread and peanut butter.
To cut costs and keep prices low, the company does things like use a shopping cart deposit system that requires shoppers to deposit a quarter to use a cart. The quarter is refunded when the shopper returns the cart. Aldi uses this system to cut down on the costs of collecting carts left in parking lots and reduce damage to cars.
Aldi opened its first Knoxville store in 2009, and there are now three stores in the city, including one on Schaad Road, and a fourth in Alcoa.
About six years ago, Aldi proposed building a store in Oak Ridge at the corner of Florida Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike, where the Dollar General store is now.
Construction on Woodland Town Center started last spring. The shopping center is across from the former Dean Stallings Ford.
The new road through the small shopping center and a stoplight in front of it, as well as improvements to the public storm water system, are being paid for with help from a $625,000 tax increment financing agreement approved by city and county officials. That agreement, which could last up to 20 years, allows tax revenues generated at the site to be used for the improvements.
Wheeler and Wise are also among the partners at the Groves Park residential development, and they built the two-story Central Park Commerce Center on Oak Ridge Turnpike, next to the Manhattan Place Shopping Center.
For more information on Aldi, including why the company charges for shopping bags, see these responses to frequently asked questions.
Charlie Jernigan says
Nice. Hope it works out.
Ellen Smith says
I think Oak Ridge will be a good market for Aldi. Not only do they offer
low prices on basic goods, but they often offer “deals” on
“gourmet”-type items.
Jack C. says
Restaurants, grocery stores, and of course retail business in general are great for communities, but manufacturing is usually the backbone of the economy. (DOE doesn’t count as it is not free enterprise and plays by its own rules.) What prevents Oak Ridge from having more ? Attitudes ? DOE ? Clinton and Maryville have plenty; we have comparatively little for a town our size.
Sam says
It’s attitudes… Always has been.
RB says
manufacturing is what is needed to create jobs. The old fogies on City Council and at the Oak Ridge Chamber need to be taken out of office and let the younger people bring this great city into the new millenium.
John Huotari says
Please remember to use your name when posting here. Thank you.