Trending in the Triangle: Walkable communities with grocery stores

From Triangle Business Journal 

A walkable development anchored by a Publix in north Durham is evidence of a growing trend in the Triangle.

Latta Park is a 30-acre development with townhomes and retail east of Highway 157 and north of the Eno River. The community will have 176 townhomes built by Tri Pointe Homes and 12,580 square feet of retail space — all anchored by a 42,240-square-foot Publix.

Construction has already begun. If all goes according to plan, homes will be for sale in late 2025 while retail tenants will be able to open late spring 2026.

Grocery stores have traditionally served as anchors for retail and shopping plazas, but the rise of massive master-planned developments in the region brought in grocery stores and other retail within those communities so residents didn’t have to go far.

Now that trend is leaking into mixed-use developments, where grocery stores anchor smaller, walkable communities. Latta Park is just one example.

The Peace Raleigh apartments in Downtown Raleigh is anchored by a ground-floor Publix as part of the Smoky Hollow development by Kane Realty. There are 417 apartments that, along with the store, opened in 2020.

Initially, plans for Fenton in Cary included a Wegmans store before the retailer backed out of the project. But the developers could still bring on another grocery chain.

Work is about to start on the redevelopment of the Durham Coca-Cola Bottling Co. warehouse, where the 11 acres will be anchored by an 23,291-square-foot grocer. No grocer tenant has been announced yet. Developer Ardent Companies is planning 370 apartments, 35 townhomes and 70,000 square feet of retail space,  including the grocery store.

In Apex, the Sweetwater development is anchored by a 64,000-square-foot Harris Teeter store. At full buildout, the project will have a mix of retail, apartments, office and green space.