The clock is ticking on Whole Foods Market’s time in Idylwood.
The grocery store has rolled out signs at its Idylwood Plaza location (7511 Leesburg Pike) announcing that it will relocate “soon” to Falls Church City, where it will anchor the new Broad and Washington development at 103 E. Broad Street.
Any local residents who need to do some last-minute Thanksgiving shopping can relax, though. The move isn’t expected to take place until February 2025, a Whole Foods employee in Idylwood told FFXnow.
Though Falls Church officials had speculated that the city’s Whole Foods could “possibly” open before Thanksgiving, the Idylwood store employee says the new space is still under construction. The existing store will remain open until the new one is ready for workers to move in.
A Whole Foods spokesperson previously confirmed that the Falls Church location was “under development” but didn’t comment on the company’s plans in Idylwood. The Amazon-owned grocery chain also has a new store under construction in Reston, where it intends to relocate from Plaza America to Spectrum at Reston Town Center.
The Falls Church City Council originally approved plans for developer Insight Property Group’s Broad and Washington project in 2018. The proposal was updated in 2021 to allow more affordable housing.
Located in the northeast corner of the E. Broad Street and N. Washington Street intersection, the development delivered a 334-unit apartment building called Broad & Washington in August. Whole Foods will be located on the ground floor of that building, along with a new space for the nonprofit theater group Creative Cauldron and other retail.
Whole Foods signed a lease for the planned 50,000-square-foot grocery store back in 2019, giving it a significant expansion from the existing Idylwood site.
It’s unclear what will happen with the 29,566-square-foot store at Idylwood Plaza once Whole Foods leaves. The Federal Realty-owned shopping center has seen some turnover within the past year, particularly in its dining options.
Recent newcomers have included Chicken Salad Chick and Halal Bowl, and the restaurants Kajiken, Mumbai Central, First Watch and Quickway Hibachi are all expected to open either by the end of this year or early next year.
In addition, a frozen yogurt shop called Happy Froyo will occupy about 633 square feet at 7505 Leesburg Pike next to OrangeTheory Fitness, according to Fairfax County permits and a site plan for Idylwood Plaza. The shop is expected to open in spring 2025, a Federal Realty spokesperson told FFXnow.
