I posted this on my business Facebook page but I'm adding it here as well as a reference.
Every time someone asks please refer them to this post. I'm trying to educate instead of watching rumors fly. This is what they require:
Population Density: "High number of residents surrounding the potential store. Typical drivetime to store 20 minutes or less."
Charles County population estimate 2022: 170,000
Prince Georges population estimate 2022: 946,971
Workforce: "The store hires somewhere in the area of 500 people.
We operate a high-volume, low-price business; we require a lot of customers shopping in our stores to achieve the volume needed to be successful."
Daytime Population: Wegmans has food bars and caters to lunchtime crowds. Approx. 60% of Charles county workforce leaves the area for work pre covid. Our current restaurants are not busy enough or staffed well enough. Just because people work from home now does not mean it will stay that way forever.
Store Size: "Typical Wegmans is 80,00 to 120,000 square feet and requires 15+ Acres." They also only open 2-3 stores a year. They are very picky.
These stores decide where they want to go. Not us, not the county or the commissioners. This is not build it and they will come. You can ask them to come until you are blue in the face. Give them all the marketing material. They do their own calculations and research and make their own decisions.
The same goes with Whole foods and Trader joes but they also require:
-household income in excess of $100,000
-200,000 people within a 20 minute drive
-Distribution centers closer to the new stores.
-They also would love a major university or large medical complex close by.
-Large number of college educated residents.
31 comments:
Just leave this posted on top of your monthly blog. I probably still wouldn't help.
Hi Chris. Any update on Royal Farms and Starbucks in Charlotte Hall? Thanks again for taking the time to update us all!!
Chris,
After reading this article, I am curious how the projected rail system that is slotted for this area will affect the caliber of retail and restaurants willing to set up shop here in Waldorf?
Royal farms is still going thru the process. Starbucks was asking about moving around to a different spot on their property but im waiting for an update.
I honestly don't see the rail coming for a long long time. I don't think its going to be useful for the money it will require to build. Its a train that's going to take you to the Branch ave metro station in Marlow heights. They have to buy all the land from here to there, update all the infrastructure on Old Washington Road, make it four lanes of traffic with a center lane to turn, build parking garages, stations, etc. Its not going to bring enough people to the area to make it more interesting.
Chris, do you have an update on the estimated completion date of the awful 228 construction? It was supposed to be completed by December 2022.
According to the Maryland state Highway they will be done in December: https://roads.maryland.gov/mdotsha/pages/pressreleasedetails.aspx?newsId=4385&PageId=818
Yes, that's the same site I looked up. If you notice, the last update is from September 2022. So, unless I'm misreading, it says December, so it should've been completed in December 2022.
Agree with the stats surrounding Wegman’s and its placement in Charles County. However, can’t help but to think about the Wegman’s located in Crofton/Gambrills. While Crofton is situated close to Bowie and approximately 10-12 miles from Annapolis, I still believe Waldorf/Charles County has a case. I think it’s naive to assume that ONLY Charles County folks will patronize the Wegman’s. After all, Brandywine and Accokeek, both high income areas surround the county. In addition, I can see parts of both St. Mary’s County and to a lesser extent Calvert County folks shopping at the Wegman’s. And let’s not forget the ever-growing King’s George County in Virginia right across the river. Maybe it’s a stretch, but I do see real potential. My last point is that Charles County will continue to see growth for the foreseeable future. Whether we want it to or not…the writings are on the wall.
Well how about a Harris Teeter for Charles County? Calvert and St. Mary's even has one.
I would love a Wegmans but I definitely think Harris Teeter should come to Charles County. If St. Mary’s has one, I know for sure we should have one!!! Lol
I agree. A Wegmans in the Brandywine area or a bit south in Charles County would draw customers from JB Andrews and all of Southern MD. Lots of people in this entire area have the needed income. If Wegmans won't come, a Trader Joes or Harris Teeter might. A lot of people would go to any of those stores on the weekends and on their way home from work.
I agree wholeheartedly with the posts in support of why there is not a major grocery store in Charles County. It does get tiring to continue to hear excuses of why this or why that won’t work when the human eye and brain can plainly see these retailers opening in areas with far less to gain. Yet, we get the excuses followed by more of the same car washes and liquor stores as a trend. Taxes keep rising houses, townhomes and apartments continue to be built with no answer to the mounting traffic issues. The money we pay in taxes continues to be funneled to counties outside of ours and again we are given excuses. It’s unacceptable that we do not have a hospital located in Waldorf as we know the population from Waldorf and the surrounding areas strongly supports the need. We have a Panera being built in the same parking lot as another Panera and that is going up 7 times faster than it has taken for them to fix one intersection in which is super confusing as it is the only road construction in all of Waldorf yet no one at all seems to find time to make right. So my thoughts are that it is sad to see all of this money on this county and nothing to show in support of it. Shame
There is definitely potential in Charles County. One correction to the above comment. The current operating Panera Bread will be moving to the one that’s being built between CVS and the Silver Diner. However, I definitely concur with the Harris Teeter comments. DUNKIRK has a Harris Teeter, a Safeway, and a Giant’s. Yes, it’s a high income area, but the population represents less than a 1/10 of Waldorf’s population. Again, plainly understand the metrics (education, income, daytime population, etc) places like Harris Teeter and Trader Joe’s take into account, but c’mon, the Brandywine, Waldorf, La Plata corridor could 1000 percent support a Harris Teeter. Let’s not overthink this. If Harris Teeter believes they’re better positioned in Dunkirk than Waldorf or La Plata they’re nuts! I no longer live in Charles County and have moved closer to Dunkirk and let me tell you, with the exception of Sunday, the HT in Dunkirk is pretty quiet with between 20-30 shoppers at any given time. Sheer math works in Waldorf’s favor. Apologies for the misspelling of Wegmans in my previous posting above. Autocorrect uses an apostrophe.
This is very well said!!!
There's been just a little bit of movement on the Royal Farms on the old Wentworth site a dumpster was loaded up with what use to be a old small shed on the property and the portable potty has been moved to maybe get it out of the way for more clearing. Wonder which RF will be built first Pinefield or Charlotte Hall.
I guess many of you shouting Wegmans don’t shop during the day at grocery stores in Waldorf or patronize any restaurants. Let me let y’all in on a secret “IT’S A GHOST TOWN” what kind of since would it make, if you owned a business such as Wegmans to put one here. It would lose too much money. Everyone that moved here knew what it was like prior to their arrival. If you want more amenities I recommend you move or travel to where you like to go. Besides shopping at Wegmans is more a status thing than anything else anyway….y’all have to admit. They have the same eggs and milk as Giant Food. Please get over yourselves. Mic Drop!!
You should probably pick up the mic. The chief reason folks are urging and/or demanding mid-to-high end grocery stores to locate to Charles County is that for one, there are more and healthier product options in these stores. But, yes, admittedly they carry a higher cachet than say Giant’s or Weis. That’s undeniable. But I think a critical piece to this is that higher end stores such as Harris Teeter, Trader Joe’s, and Wegmans PROVABLY leads to higher home values in the area. Which invariably attracts more educated, wealthier home buyers. That said, we do need to be realistic, Whole Foods is out of the question. I saw a few earlier posts mentioning Whole Foods and I chuckled. Charles County is simply not position for that. But AT A MINIMUM, Harris Teeter is certainly a viable option. Wegmans is a bit further down the road but I really do believe there is potential based on out year statistics surrounding the County. But before I go, to the Charles County residents demanding these stores to locate to the county, let’s also demand lower crime, better education, cleaner highways, and actually hold elected officials accountable. I’m all for the stores mentioned above coming to the county, but let’s get our act together first. Once that is accomplished, we won’t need to petition stores to come, they’ll automatically want to (yes, I’m ending with a preposition 😏).
I dont know why Harris Teeter has ignored Charles County. Possible that someone in the county pissed them off. They wont say. Some of the big developers we work with have been trying to coax them back.
People complain about food prices at Weis, Giant, Safeway. People will really complain about Wegman’s, Harris Teeter, etc. Let’s see what happens when the upscale Weis is built which seems like a Wegmans.
Giant is more expensive than Harris Teeter and HT has more specialty items than Giant. Also when HT has a sale it’s a really sale unlike Giant.
Once again….nailed it!!! Rotfflmao at “you might want to pick up the mic”!!!!!!!!! I completely agree with you that stores like wegmans and Harris teeter have far better quality of items..like everything though one store is going to do something better than the next and vice versa but we definitely need a Trader Joe’s or Harris Teeter….Moms is incredibly overpriced and small.
Agreed
To whomever responded to the mic drop and YES it will remain on the ground. You never responded to the scarcity of people at food establishments during the day. You also stated a very HILARIOUS comment stating, "The chief reason folks are urging and/or demanding mid-to-high end grocery stores to locate to Charles County is that for one, there are more and healthier product options in these stores." Doesn't seem like it to me, did you see the lines from Waldorf to Brandywine for "Raising Canes" LMAO. Not to mention when Sonic opened a few years ago..... pretty ridiculous I might add. I can't remember MOM'S having lines out the door when that 1st opened. It's never full of people in there and I shop there often. So much for the URGENCY AND DEMAND for HEALTHY options LOL. If someone can't find healthy options in the grocery stores we currently have, I would implore them to learn. I think that would be a "HEALTHY" lesson in Adulting. You can pick the Mic up if you want. I'm done!!
Low Income/Affordable Housing going up in LaPlata Washington Ave and Heritage Green Pkwy 2024
https://thebaynet.com/enterprise-secures-30m-for-magnolia-gardens-affordable-housing-apartment-complex-in-la-plata/
Hi Chris, I noticed today that you have your sign on the Hughesville Station sign on Foster La. Any interest of anybody for any type of development for that property. That sign has been up for years with no interest.
We haven't had that listed for years. Another broker had just put his sign over mine. I guess they took theirs off. It's a tough sell not being accessible from a closer point.
Looks like that might have been what happened. Agree who wants to drive up to the light and come all the way down that road. As more things get built back there they need some type of right turn in off 5 and a right turn out onto northbound 5, somewhere maybe across from the Harley place.
Rumor starting up about a Walmart coming to Charlotte Hall in a couple of years. Im just not a believer in this latest story.
Same BS rumor that's been around for a while.
Tell 'em again Chris !!!!
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