A Trader Joe's is in the plans in Virginia Beach's Hilltop

Posted to: Business Virginia Beach

By Carolyn Shapiro
Deirdre Fernandes
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 21, 2008

VIRGINIA BEACH

The cheap wine. The New Zealand organic lamb. The exotic Thai-spiced peanuts.

Those are just samples of the shelf selection that has given gourmet grocer Trader Joe's legions of South Hampton Roads devotees. And they soon might have a Joe's to call their own.

City planners last week received preliminary drawings for a Trader Joe's store in the tony Hilltop area of the city. The site, at Hilltop Plaza on Laskin Road, now houses the soon-to-close The North Carolina Company furniture store.

A Pennsylvania architectural firm, Barton Partners, is working on designs for rehabbing the building. Initial drawings show the space subdivided into four sections, with a Trader Joe's and PetSmart as two tenants, said an official with the city's permits and inspections office who will review the plans.

Trader Joe's, based in California, opened its first regional store in late 2004 in Newport News. Since then, rumors continually have surfaced about the retailer's interest in a Virginia Beach location, but the company has never confirmed a site.

A Trader Joe's spokeswoman didn't return phone calls Tuesday to comment on the drawings submitted to the city.

"We're interested in Virginia Beach the area, but I don't have anything to confirm at this time," Alison Mochizuki, the spokeswoman, said late last week in response to recent rumors.

Beach economic development officials have written Trader Joe's in the past to ask the company to consider the resort city. Late last year, two Virginia Beach Joe's fans, Debbie Mollura and Laura Cardone, launched an e-mail petition to implore the grocer to open a store near them. More than 1,200 shoppers joined the petition, Mollura said in February.

City Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson said a Trader Joe's in Virginia Beach would save her and other fans of the store the frequent trip to Newport News.

"Woohoo!" Wilson said Tuesday.

Typically the architectural designs are the first step in the planning process, and the developer probably will have to submit plans for each tenant.

A project manager for Barton Partners and representatives of Hilltop Plaza owner Centro Properties Group, an Australian real estate investment company, did not return phone calls for comment Tuesday.

Gerald Divaris, chief executive of Divaris Real Estate Inc., the local leasing agent for the property, also was unavailable for comment.

Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com

Carolyn Shapiro, (757) 446-2270, carolyn.shapiro@pilotonline.com

IKEA

Submitted by dadioh on Thu, 05/22/2008 at 6:36 pm.

IKEA will be coming to the Bower's Hill area in 2010, making it easily accessible to a majority of the cities on the north side and the south side, as well as eastern NC.
They are setting up their wood furniture manufacturing facilites in Danville, where they will employee several hundred people who know how to dowel and glue.

Yeah.....about time....especially with gas prices.

Submitted by sandyy66798 on Thu, 05/22/2008 at 12:00 am.

I am soooo excited!! Costs too much to drive to Newport News and we certainly do not have anything comparative in VA Beach. Now we need a Whole Foods for great take-out food...especially fresh salad bar and healthy prepared meals.

What about Chesapeake?

Submitted by HaydensPop on Wed, 05/21/2008 at 10:46 pm.

As much as I would like to curb development in Chesapeake, it's obvious that isn't happening anytime soon with the recent elections. May as well develop something worthwhile like Trader Joe's instead of another worthless Walmart.

And I'd rather not have an IKEA here. I like having furniture that no one else in the area has since I drove a Uhaul from Woodbridge to get it.