Can Trader Joe's be Lured to the North Hills?
McCandless Crossing is hoping to soon get a commitment from the speciality grocery store.
Photos
Residents in the North Hills can expect to see work get underway next year on the final phase of McCandless Crossing.
Phase Four of the development is on the east side of McKnight Road between Duncan Avenue and Cumberland Road.
It includes five restaurants, three of which have already signed, 50 townhomes, and a 12 screen Cinemark Movie Theater for starters.
The town of McCandless and developer, AdVenture Development, is also hoping to lure a very popular specialty grocery store.
"We'd love to have Trader Joe's, but that's not a definite, they haven't signed," said Bruce Betty, town of McCandless Land Use Administrator. But perhaps for good luck, the Trader's Joe name is on the current aerial sketch of McCandless Crossing.
Long a specialty food staple in California, Trader Joe’s has expanded to 350 stores in 25 states, gradually extending into the eastern United States and generating a cult following with its mix of unique culinary finds served up by Hawaiian shirt-clad crew members, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported.
Trader Joe’s, for the most part, sells its own private label assortment of specialty foods, including meats and cheese and fresh produce.
Residents in several northern suburbs have expressed a desire for a Trader Joe's.
In Cranberry, when asked what they would like to see occupy the space at a former Kuhn's market on Route 19, almost overwhelmingly, readers said they’d like to see Trader Joe’s move into the spot.
When asked for ideas about the site of a former pizza shop overlooking Route 19 in the Streets of Cranberry shopping plaza, the answer was the same, it seemed everyone wanted a Trader Joe's.
Right now, the closest Trader Joe's are in Pittsburgh's East end at 6343 Penn Avenue and 1630 Washington Road in Upper St. Clair.
Is Betty concerned that the new owners of the Northway Mall might try to snag Trader Joe's?
"We have an approved concept here and it's a nice concept and a unique concept, it's all pedestrian friendly, we have a nice mix of things. I don't know what their plans are, how they're going to manage the traffic, storm water management, those kinds of things," said Betty. "Here, that's all done, so we've got quite a bit of a jump on it."
What do you think? Are you as excited about the prospects of a Trader Joe's at McCandless Crossing as our neighbors to the north? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.
Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook
Check out some of today's other top stories here .
MMark
8:34 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
Please trader joes
Mara Addison
10:19 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
What can we Northerners do to help convince Trader Joe's to bring a store to McCandless?
bill heil
1:02 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Trader joes cranberry would be best for trader joes. It was the best place for Westinghouse
Bill
Scott Baret
4:37 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Trader Joe's is a long overdue addition to the North Hills, where all grocery stores south of Wexford (which now has Whole Foods) fit into the following categories: discount, mediocre SuperValu-run property, or Giant Eagle. There needs to be more variety and less monopoly. The market for a Trader Joe's is clearly in place, especially since a Ross or McCandless location would pull customers from other northern suburbs.
Sue Ann Driscoll
8:55 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
Trader Joe's in McCandless Crossing? Yes, Yes, Yes!
Timothy P. Murphy
7:02 pm on Friday, March 1, 2013
Trader Joes is a terribly overhyped operation. The store they have in East Liberty is a big yawn. If you're looking specialty grocery store, look to a chain from North Carolina called The Fresh Market. They are exapanding rapidly and have already planned a location in Mt Lebanon in the Galleria. I travel to Hilton Head often and find The Fresh Market location there just great. Not as goofy/pseudo trendy as Trader Joes and top quality. Its about time that the North Hills get something different. I'm hoping McCandless Town Council throws their weight in the direction of The Fresh Market; time is ticking and your "crown jewel of McCandless" is already looking a bit "same ole same ole" before its even completed!
Melanie Cameron
10:26 am on Friday, April 12, 2013
Trader Joe's put a store in the South Hills due to the MANY requests from their customers ONLINE. There is a link on their website for store requests and apparently there were many from those living in the South. I've already posted many requests of my own, but we ALL need to do this to convince them!! Make sure you make it a point to tell them an average round trip visit currently is a minimum of 50 miles. Hardly convenient!!