Weis Markets will anchor a new development north of Middletown, giving the fast-growing residential area its first grocery store.
The supermarket, slated to open in 2025, will be the centerpiece of the Bayberry Town Center, a shopping center within the Bayberry master-planned community surrounded by townhomes and office space. Bayberry spans 1,500 acres between Route 1 and Route 301 and is one of the drivers of growth north of Middletown.
Since 2010, about 1,700 homes have been built and sold in Bayberry. Another 1,000 are planned, and hundreds more units are coming to surrounding communities.
Currently, residents of the area drive into Middletown for their shopping needs — a 15- to 20-minute trip that can balloon with traffic. A grocer nearby has been at the top of their priority list.
“The residents have been clamoring for commercial for a long time,” said Simi Sonecha, vice president of Bayberry developer Blenheim Homes. “This is going to be one of the premier retail centers in the lower two-thirds of Delaware.”
Mid-Atlantic food retailer fills in New Castle County gap
Founded in central Pennsylvania more than 100 years ago, Weis Markets has nearly 200 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia, Virginia and Delaware. But it doesn’t have a presence in the northern half of Delaware: its existing three First State locations are in Millville, Millsboro and Lewes.
Sonecha said Weis conducted a market study looking at possible sites in northern Delaware. The company relayed to Blenheim interest in Bayberry’s central location, road network and the mass of residential development, she said. There’s also little existing competition.
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“Northern Middletown is becoming its own trade area,” Sonecha said. “That explosive growth hasn’t been matched by the same retail growth.”
The supermarket will be between Boyds Corner and Jamison Corner roads. It will be 64,000 square feet and have gas pumps.
Momentum builds for Bayberry Town Center
Bayberry Town Center has been discussed almost as long as the Bayberry community itself.
Blenheim started marketing the project in 2011, but received feedback from potential tenants that the area did not have enough housing to support it. They returned to the project in the late 2010s after Bayberry got off the ground and made some changes, including reducing the amount of commercial space and introducing townhomes.
The most recent plan submitted to New Castle County calls for about 280,000 square feet of commercial space divided among more than a dozen buildings. It also includes 145 townhomes north of the commercial development and a central green space.
Sonecha said Blenheim is in discussions with several small and large casual dining restaurants, health-related service providers and fitness center and hardware store operators.
“We’re aiming for a really intentional and diverse combination of retail and retail service and dining,” she said, adding that the announcement of Weis has generated “leasing momentum.”
Blenheim also owns the land east and west of Bayberry Town Center. It plans to build 176 age-restricted homes, 137 unrestricted single-family homes and 38 townhomes, according to county documents. North of the Bayberry Town Center site, another developer has plans for 336 homes, a mix of single-family homes, single-family village lots, twin homes and townhomes called the Winchelsea subdivision.
What’s next
Sonecha said Blenheim plans to start site work in the fall. They plan to make some small changes to their plans with Weis now in place and go for county approval in the spring after which Weis will begin construction. The company is planning to open at some point in 2025.
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Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @holveck_brandon.
