New Romany Road grocery store proposed; Old Kroger to be demolished
After disappointments and delays, a new grocery store on Romany Road finally is in the works.
A new plan has been filed with the city to demolish the shell of the former Kroger store and rebuild it slightly larger with a liquor store too. The new store could open in late 2021.
The new store will be called The Markets on Romany, according to George Griffin, a longtime grocer and grandson of Laurel Grocery co-founder. Griffin and his partners are redeveloping the property, which is co-owned by The Webb Companies and Greer Companies and leased to Laurel Grocery, a London-based wholesale supplier to independent grocery stores.
The 26,000-square-foot building in the Chevy Chase neighborhood will have space for an 88-seat rooftop cafe and bar at 344 Romany Rd. Stairs and elevators will bring customers to the roof, which will feature a 30-foot-tall tree in a rooftop garden, he said.
“It’s the ‘garden club lady’ I want to come, and have lunch with me, have a very nice sandwich from the deli and maybe a glass of wine,” Griffin said.
“We are going to revitalize that location,” Griffin said. The multimillion-dollar project will result in a locally owned and operated grocery. “It’s going to be great for the neighborhood.”
He said that they plan to have a full grocery and deli, but no pharmacy to avoid competing with Wheeler Pharmacy a block away.
“Wheeler’s is very established there,” he said.
Instead, he said, they will focus on providing fresh, locally sourced produce and tasty lunch options. He plans to run the store and said it will operate from 6 a.m. to about 9 p.m. daily, but the rooftop cafe will not be open late in the evening.
The project faces several hurdles, including a public hearing in mid-December on the plans, which will require variances to build a longer wall between the store and adjacent private property. The board of adjustment is scheduled to consider the proposal on Dec. 14.
Griffin said that he plans to go door to door discussing the plan with the neighborhood, hoping to sell them on the idea.
The store was built in 1967 as a Shoppers Choice; most recently, it was Kroger but that closed in 2015. Later there were plans to put an IGA grocery in that spot in 2017 but that grounded to a halt after the building was gutted. In December 2019, it was purchased by the Greers and the Webbs, who partnered on the now-completed City Center project in downtown Lexington.
“It’s difficult to demolish a building of that age without disrupting the neighbors. It’s going to be challenging,” Griffin said. “I’ll be trying to convince those former Kroger customers to come back to a brand spanking new shiny penny.”
The store also will be environmentally friendly, he said, in construction and in operations. “We intend to have small electronic charging station for electric vehicles,” he said.
Griffin said that despite repeated setbacks on previous projects, he is confident that he can put in a unique but financially sustainable store that will be a benefit for the local residents.
“We are trying to be a very friendly corporate, prosperous tax-paying customer over there,” Griffin said. “I wouldn’t have invested this much if didn’t think it would be very positive. We’re going to employee significant number of people.”
He said that if the plans are approved, demolish and construction will begin be as soon as possible.
“It’s going to be a year before we can sell a can of green beans,” he said. “I’d love to have Santa Claus in there next year.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 12:01 PM.
