Dunkirk, MD – It has long been rumored that the northern Calvert County town of Dunkirk would be getting a third grocery store — Harris Teeter. The grocer, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kroger Company, has stores in six states–including Maryland and Virginia—and the District of Columbia.
Currently the closest Harris Teeter to Southern Maryland is in Bowie. But that will soon change when the planned Harris Teeter arrives in St. Mary’s County.
On Thursday, Oct. 6 the Calvert County Board of Appeals will consider a request for a special exception for the applicant to operate a filling station on a parcel at the Route 4 – Ward Road intersection.
The tract is the future site of the Shoppes of Apple Greene. The application submitted to the Board of Appeals states the request to operate gas pumps there is “in conjunction with the operation of a Harris Teeter grocery store to be constructed at the Shoppes of Apple Greene.”
The 15.47-acre property is owned by Howlin Investment. The applicant is listed as Echo Apple Greene LLC, affiliated with ECHO Realty Services Company of Washington, DC, one of the largest privately held owners of grocery-anchored shopping centers in the United States.
“The Shoppes at Apple Greene has already received site plan approval for a Harris Teeter, as depicted on the site plan,” stated Edward C. Gibbs Jr., the attorney for the applicant, who also indicated other retail stores will co-locate with the grocery anchor.
Gibbs added, “All received site plan approval from the [Calvert County] Planning Commission with further minor modifications approved by the staff. The construction for the approved buildings will likely commence during the first quarter of 2017.”
The proposed filling station would consist of four pump islands with a total of 14 fuel dispensers and a kiosk for the sale of gasoline. Two below ground storage tanks will be installed on the south portion of the property.
“The canopy will include a ‘Harris Teeter Fuel’ sign and additional fuel pricing signs,” Gibbs said.
“A brick monument sign depicting ‘Harris Teeter’ and fuel prices is proposed in the south corner of the Shoppes at Apple Greene at the intersection of MD Route 4 and Dunkirk Way.”
Gibbs added that “there will be no affiliation with a major oil company.” The fuel will be bought from independent vendors and will be branded as ‘Harris Teeter fuels,” he stated.
According to the last census, the unincorporated town of Dunkirk has a population of just over 2,500. It is one of seven “town centers” in Calvert County. Currently, Safeway and Giant have stores in the town center.
A request for comment from ECHO Realty Services Company regarding the Dunkirk project had not received a response as this story was being filed.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com