THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 15, 1996 TAG: 9608150536
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 36 lines
Grocer Harris Teeter said Wednesday it has purchased 14 acres near the Oceanfront - a property large enough to fit one of its supermarkets plus a shopping center or other large commercial development.
The purchase price was not disclosed.
``Our primary purpose is to build a Harris Teeter supermarket at this location,'' said Julia Passmore, corporate secretary for Ruddick Investment Co., the real-estate arm of Harris Teeter's parent company. ``But we also believe this is an excellent site for further retail development.''
Passmore said specific plans have not been decided, though the company is working with the city to ensure the project fits with development plans for the area.
Ruddick Investment plans to break ground in the spring of 1997 and complete construction in late 1998.
The property is located off Baltic Avenue between the intersections of 27th and 30th streets. Property owner Jerry McDonnell had it on the market for years before recently selling it to Ruddick Investment, a unit of Ruddick Corp.
The 14-acre site currently is home to several buildings, including at least one home and Beach Bully Open-Pit Bar B Que & Catering, said Ken Merner of Langley & McDonald, a Virginia Beach engineering and planning firm working on the project. All will be removed during construction, he said.
Harris Teeter, based in Matthews, N.C., is one of several new grocers moving into Hampton Roads. So far, it has opened one store in Virginia Beach and is building other supermarkets in Chesapeake and Newport News. ILLUSTRATION: VP Map by CNB