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Massive grocery store, shops, restaurants coming to growing area
Crossroads Harris Teeter By Elly Cosgrove | February 12, 2021 at 8:26 PM EST - Updated February 14 at 7:44 PM
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - A neighborhood retail center is coming to a fast-growing area of Wilmington, bringing shops, restaurants, and a massive Harris Teeter closer to thousands of consumers.
Work on the Crossroads at Independence, located at the corner of Independence Boulevard and Carolina Beach Road, started in November and is expected to finish by April of next year.
The center will be less than two miles from the 1,400-acre Riverlights community, which has 600 homes already and plans for 2,000 more. Itâs also next to the redeveloped Echo Farms and right down the road from the Pointe at Barclay.
The new Harris Teeter will also be one of the biggest at 78,000 square feet. Look for a fuel station outparcel, a Starbucks, as well as a hot bar, salad bar and other amenities inside.
Scarafoni, who also developed a Food Lion-anchored shopping center in Porters Neck, said fewer grocery stores are being built in the area.
“It says something that they are,” he said.
Nationally, some companies are trying to expand their reach, especially in areas with higher incomes. Lidl and Aldi, for example, are relatively new to Wilmington. And chains like Wegmans are starting to expand to North Carolina (although no local stores are planned yet).
Construction began on a new Wilmington Harris Teeter in November. The site plan calls for 18.46 acres of development, and has a target completion date of April 2022. (Port City Daily/Preston Lennon)
WILMINGTON An under-construction Harris Teeter will capitalize on an influx of residents near the intersection of Independence Boulevard and Carolina Beach Road, bringing more grocery options closer to the Riverlights community and Echo Farms.
While the project has been ongoing for four years, developer Dean Scarafoni said Harris Teeter just recently secured approvals from its parent company Kroger to move forward with the plan. It will bring the brand’s largest store in southeastern North Carolina to Wilmington, with 92,000 square feet of building area, according to Scarafoni..