Towson Whole Foods Store Part of $350 Million Construction Project

Baltimore County officials have revealed the star of a 5-acre development project planned for downtown Towson: Whole Foods.

“The people of Towson have been asking for a Whole Foods Market for some time now—and we’re excited to make it a reality,” Whole Foods Market Mid-Atlantic regional president Scott Allshouse said in prepared remarks.

The grocery store, which specializes in natural and organic foods, is coming to Towson Row, a mix of residential and commercial spaces that will be built in the southern gateway to Towson.

The five-acre area where it will be built is bounded by York Road, Towsontown Boulevard, Washington Avenue and Chesapeake Avenue. Vacant properties stand there now, which Towson Row developer Caves Valley Partners plans to begin demolishing in 2015.

The $350-million Towson Row development will include the following, according to a statement from Baltimore County:

• 45,000-square-foot Whole Foods market
• 200,000 square feet of Class A office space
• 350 luxury high-rise apartments and condominiums
• 300 exclusive student housing units,
• 200 limited service hotel rooms
• More than 100,000 square feet of shops and restaurants
• More than 1,500 garage parking spaces for tenants and customers

Towson Row developers said they were “thrilled” that Whole Foods was joining the mix of its 1-million-square-foot project.

“...we knew early on that attracting a top-notch grocer would be a critical lynchpin in the development of Towson Row,” Arthur Adler, a partner at Caves Valley Partners, said.

”We studied urban mixed-use developments around the country and there was one recurring theme: Whole Foods anchored the most dynamic projects,” he said.

Said Adler: “...it will be a game changer for all of Towson.”

There has not been an opening date been set for Whole Foods, according to officials.

Towson Row rendering by Design Collective, courtesy of Baltimore County government.