Aldi plans store at Kingsdale
Aldi hopes to open a grocery store on the former Barnes & Noble site in Upper Arlington's Kingsdale Shopping Center.
The grocery chain submitted a proposal to the city for an 18,726-squarefoot grocery store at 3280 Tremont Road in Kingsdale.
The company plans to redevelop the site formerly occupied by Barnes & Noble, which closed this past summer, according to Upper Arlington senior planner Justin Milam.
Plans call for a one-story building with 145 parking spaces. The store would employ 15 to 20 workers, according to a letter to the city's Community Development Department from Ken White, an attorney involved in the project. White said Aldi stores typically need 80 parking spaces, allowing neighboring CVS and Panera Bread to use the remaining 65 spaces. Aldi stores are typically open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., he said.
City officials said the project will be reviewed by the Upper Arlington Board of Zoning and Planning on Nov. 2. After a public hearing, the board could vote on the proposed final development plan Nov. 16.
“Aldi plans to construct an attractive store meeting the expectations of the surrounding community," White wrote to the city. If approved, Aldi would be the second grocery at Kingsdale, following Giant Eagle. In January 2015, Kroger Co. purchased the 105,422square-foot Macy's building and affiliated property at Kingsdale and announced plans to construct a grocery as part of a mixed-use development.
Kroger never moved forward on the development and Continental Real Estate Cos. now intends to develop the site with apartments, senior living, offices, restaurants and structured parking, while leaving a placeholder for a possible community center. nellis@thisweeknews.com @Thisweeknate