(Updated at 11 a.m.) Crystal City, for years a grocery desert, appears set to land a coveted Trader Joe’s store.
A construction permit application has been filed for 2450 Crystal Drive, one of the newly-upgraded Century Center towers just south of 23rd Street S. It calls for “landlord prep work to prepare for new Trader Joe’s Grocery Store.”
“Garage Levels, B1 and B2, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th floor are affected,” notes the permit application, which was filed on Friday.
As reported in February, a website for the renovated office complex says that a “food market,” as well as “casual and upscale restaurants, [a] boutique fitness club, and more,” are “in the works.” A new open-air retail plaza at the complex is set to open this spring, we reported.
Responding this morning to an inquiry from ARLnow, a Trader Joe’s spokesperson did not directly address whether the company would be opening at 2450 Crystal Drive, instead noting only that it’s not on a published list of imminent store openings.
“We consider many locations,” wrote Nakia Rohde. “All of the locations that are opening soon are listed on our website. Unfortunately, Arlington is not on the list at this time.”
Arlington has an existing Trader Joe’s store that opened in Clarendon in 2011. Other nearby locations include 1101 25th St NW in D.C.’s West End, 612 N. St. Asaph Street in Old Town Alexandria, 7514 Leesburg Pike in Tysons and 5847 Leesburg Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads.
Crystal City’s long grocery drought ended last year with the opening of an Amazon Fresh store at 1550 Crystal Drive. There are other grocery stores just outside of the neighborhood, with a Whole Foods at 520 12th Street S. in Pentagon City, and Harris Teeter locations at 3600 S. Glebe Road in the Potomac Yard area and 900 Army Navy Drive in Pentagon City.
Hat tip to Chris Slatt