Whole Foods Market

North Raleigh

The following information has been provided to BringWholeFoods.Org by Regency Centers, the developer of the proposed Whole Foods.

Who is the Developer?

Regency Centers is a publicly-traded company that owns over 400 shopping centers across the United States.Here in Raleigh, its holdings include Cameron Village, the recently redeveloped Sutton Square, and Shoppes of Kildaire, home to the first Trader Joe's in North Carolina.The shopping centers that Regency builds are built to keep—not to sell.

Who owns the property?

Regency has owned it since October 2007.

Where is the site?

The site is at the northeast corner of Six Forks Road and Colonnade Center Drive, across Six Forks from the Six Forks Station shopping center.

Will the shopping center take up the entire undeveloped parcel at this corner?

No.The parcel is split roughly in half, into a western side and an eastern side, each being about 6 acres.The western side is the project; the eastern side is owned by State Employees Credit Union, where they intend to build a branch bank.

Why didn't Regency acquire and develop the whole site?

The Credit Union bought their property before we bought our site, and elected to develop their parcel with a prototypical stand-alone branch bank.

How do we know that Whole Foods will be the tenant?

Whole Foods Market and Regency Centers have executed a long-term lease agreement for the market, contingent on rezoning of the property as described below.

Why can't Whole Foods go somewhere else in North Raleigh?

Whole Foods has been seeking the "right" site in North Raleigh for about 7 years, and determined that locating at the intersection of Six Forks and Strickland Roads is the best location to open a new store.As a gourmet and natural foods market serving well-educated and discerning customers, this is where Whole Foods wants to be located.

Can Whole Foods take over the K Mart instead?

K Mart has been in its location for more than 20 years, it holds a long-term lease for this store, and this store has the greatest sales volume of all its Triangle locations

Does Whole Foods' recent troubles with its stock price mean they won't be successful at this location?

No.Whole Foods has enjoyed tremendous success with its stores in the Triangle.In fact, the lease for this store was signed the day before their most recent quarterly earnings release.Whole Foods is only moving forward with their best locations and this is one of them.

Why is the store the size it is?

Two reasons:Three years ago, the neighborhood told the City Council that it wanted a Whole Foods, not a mainstream grocer, and wanted it to be no larger than 40,000 square feet.Our aim was to achieve both objectives, and we have.

Describe the site.

The site supports two buildings:

• A Whole Foods Market of about 40,000 square feet.The Whole Foods building faces to the South, with its loading dock on the northeast corner, away from any residential areas.
• A 17,000 square foot building for smaller, specialty retail tenants.The small building will be at the corner of Six Forks Road and Colonnade Center Drive, facing into the parking lot between it and the Whole Foods Market.All sides of the buildings are "finished" to a high level.

How do I enter and exit the site?

There are three driveways that access the site:One on Six Forks Road, one on Strickland Road, and one on Colonnade Center Drive.The Six Forks and Strickland driveways are shared with the office building to the North of our site; the Colonnade Center Drive access is shared with the Credit Union.Left turns are permitted from each driveway.

Who will be in the small building?

A small retail project anchored by a Whole Foods Market will allow Regency to use great discretion in selecting tenants for the small building.Dozens of retailers have expressed interest in being in the center, but Regency has the luxury of picking those that are the best fit with Whole Foods and with the community.

How does traffic with the proposed retail development compare with an office building?

The level of service for traffic at the intersection of Six Forks Road and Forum Drive/Colonnade Center Drive is projected to be the same, whether the site is developed for retail or existing permitted uses.While no improvements are required by the City, Regency is evaluating the addition of a dedicated Westbound Right Turn Lane on Colonnade Center Drive, onto Six Forks Road, to facilitate traffic flows from the development and to improve turning movements at the intersection.

I live in Greystone and am concerned about stormwater runoff.What are the risks to our lake and stream system?

• The stormwater runoff from the Whole Foods site doesn't run into the same drainage basin as that serving Greystone Village.
• In conjunction with NC State University, Regency is pursuing innovative approaches to keeping as much stormwater on site as possible, including the capture of rooftop stormwater runoff into cisterns for reuse as landscaping irrigation or for reinfiltration onsite.

Will this be a 'LEED Certified' project?

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. Regency will pursue LEED Certification for the Whole Foods building, making it one of the first retail establishments in North Carolina to achieve this nationally recognized standard.

There was a Harris Teeter proposed for this same area a few years ago, the rezoning for which was denied.How is this project different?

• ANCHOR TENANT AND STORE SIZE - In public hearings at that time, the neighbors said that if the store had been a 40,000 square foot Whole Foods instead of a 55,000 square foot Harris Teeter, then they'd support it.We've responded with a project that meets their standards of acceptability.
• THE PROJECT IS ON A DIFFERENT SITE - The Harris Teeter site had residential properties in close proximity to it. In contrast, our site is comfortably compatible with the surrounding properties, all of which are zoned, and developed, for commercial use.
• HOURS OF OPERATION - The store won't operate "24/7" as would have the Harris Teeter. Whole Foods opens its Café at 7 AM, the main store at 8 AM, and closes the store no later than 10 PM.
• Whole Foods controls the times and routes of its delivery trucks, which make their deliveries during store hours.
• Unlike the Harris Teeter proposal, there is a consensus in the community as to its reasonableness and benefit to the public.More than 2,000 persons have registered on an online petition in support of the project (www.bringwholefoods.org); more than 500 of them are residents within the boundaries of the Citizens' Advisory Council – North area.

What approvals are required by the City of Raleigh?

In order for the Whole Foods to be developed here, the site needs to be rezoned to "Shopping Center", with certain conditions applied to the rezoning (to make sure that what is presented to the city is what is actually designed and built).In order for the site to be rezoned, A series of public hearings will take place in which the citizens can voice their opinions.Whole Foods and Regency need community members to ACTIVELY SUPPORT the Whole Foods rezoning so the store can be built.The rezoning case, known as "Z-044-08," can be found at www.raleighnc.gov, or call Regency Centers for more information at 919.831.4900.

Regency is using a "concept plan" rezoning, which means that it is committing to a specific building layout, square footage and other plan elements.  Regency can make such a commitment this early in the process because it knows that its tenant will be Whole Foods.

How does the site reconcile to the City of Raleigh's Comprehensive Plan?

• This project provides allows a new amenity so that North Raleigh residents do not have to travel outside of the area to shop at a high quality natural foods store.There are several neighborhoods within close proximity that would frequent the Whole Foods.Further, the City's policy of prohibiting commercial development in the Falls Lake watershed means there is a large area of residential development to the north which depends on this Small Area for its commercial needs.Whole Foods chose this location in recognition of the strong demand in our community for its goods.
• The project is compatible with the Small Area Plan in terms of providing pedestrian connections along and across the adjoining streets.
• The Six Forks/Strickland Small Area Plan recognizes the need for retail services.While the plan calls for 900,000 square feet of retail, currently the area has only 785,000 square feet of retail.The Whole Foods project proposes 57,000 square feet, well below the available retail allotment.With the completion of The Cypress of Raleigh age-targeted community, the Colonnade II office building, and development of the State Employees Credit Union described above, this site is the last remaining undeveloped parcel in the Small Area that can fulfill this aspect of the Comprehensive Plan.

What would be built on the property, if not a Whole Foods?

If the rezoning is approved, residents can expect Whole Foods Market to be ready for customers in mid-2010.

If the rezoning is not approved:

• Whole Foods will pursue other opportunities in other markets nationwide.
• Regency will pursue the highest and best use of the land as allowed pursuant to:
• the site's current zoning, which may include:
• A healthclub facility (up to 160,000 square feet fits on site);
• Drive through banks (up to 3 fit on site);
• Office building(s) with structured parking; or
• Group housing, apartments or condominiums.
• a subsequent rezoning of the site following the City of Raleigh's Comprehensive Plan, which states "Mixed use development with an emphasis on office, hotels and higher density housing are appropriate for the undeveloped land in the southeast quadrant of the intersection of Six Forks and Strickland Roads."