Updated: County Officials Confirm New Whole Foods Proposal

10:46 a.m. update — Arlington County officials have confirmed that a new Whole Foods is in the works.

The store would be located on the ground level of the Metropolitan Park community at 1200 Eads St. in Pentagon City, across from the Costco.

“The developer has proposed a new site plan for a site within the Metropolitan Park that would contain a Whole Foods,” said Aaron Shriber, of Arlington County’s Planning Division. 

The site plan proposed by developer Vornado/Charles E. Smith went before the Arlington County Planning Commission’s Site Plan Review Committee on Tuesday evening. The plans are in the beginning stages, and would not come before the county board until sometime next year, Shriber said.

Phases four and five of Metropolitan Park would include 699 residential units and 41,679 square feet of residential space. The proposed Whole Foods would comprise 37,058 square feet of the ground floor of the building, according to the site plan. 

The site plan specified that the building would be a maximum of 22 stories high. If approved, the site plan would also call for more sidewalks to provide easier access from the Pentagon City metro station to the development.

The Metropolitan Park area currently includes residential complexes and a park.

You can review the full site plan on Arlington County's website.

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10:30 a.m. Wednesday update — Whole Foods' corporate offices would not confirm plans for a new Crystal City location Wednesday morning.

"At this time there are no firm plans to open in Crystal City, but we are always actively seeking new locations," spokeswoman Defausha Hampton wrote in an email. "Whole Foods Market typically announces new confirmed stores on its quarterly financial earnings calls. At that time, the website is updated with these new locations."

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8:45 a.m. Wednesday update — Crystal City BID provided a little more information about Whole Foods Market coming to Crystal City in an update on its Facebook page.

The project is being discussed at the design level with Arlington County's Site Plan Review Committee.  

The update reads: "We could not be more thrilled about the thought of Whole Foods coming to Crystal City! :) We are glad to hear that you are too! It's now being discussed at design level in the Arlington SPRC process. Stay tuned for more details as the project moves thru the process."

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Is Whole Foods Market coming to Crystal City? It looks likely, according to a vague Facebook update and tweet from the Crystal City Business Improvement District on Tuesday evening.

“How do you like them apples? Considering you'll now be able to pick them up in Crystal City at Whole Foods! Details coming soon!” the Crystal City BID tweeted just after 8 p.m. Tuesday.

A note sent from Patch to Crystal City BID Chief Operating Officer Rob Mandle requesting comment was not immediately returned Tuesday evening. Emails to Arlington Economic Development and Whole Foods' public relations also were not immediately returned late Tuesday.

The Crystal City area has been without a grocery store since the Harris Teeter on South Glebe Road closed in May after a sewage backup caused interior flooding.

A Harris Teeter representative told Patch in August that the store would reopen but offered no firm date.

On Nov. 12, ABC7 reported that Harris Teeter would begin work toward reopening the store once it receives assurances from Arlington County that the sewage issues were resolved. The North Carolina-based company has no idea when and if that will happen, according to the report.

Nearby residents recently started a campaign to bring the store back.

Whole Foods currently has nearby locations on Duke Street in Old Town Alexandria and on Wilson Boulevard in Clarendon. Another Harris Teeter is in Pentagon City.

The Potomac Yard Shopping Center just south of Crystal City in Alexandria houses a Shoppers Food Warehouse and a Target with a grocery store.

In October, the Alexandria City Council approved the construction of a new mixed-use development just south of the Potomac Yard Shopping Center that will include a 69,000-square-foot Giant grocery.