Wegmans is planning on opening its first Connecticut store in Norwalk, and the company has big plans to handle the new traffic influx that is expected.
In order to build wider roadways that they believe will be necessary to accommodate the number of shoppers expected, Wegmans bought a strip of stores along Connecticut Avenue that it plans to tear down. In their place will be a pair of new roadways, which will provide easier access to the store.
A traffic study found that the proposed store could generate nearly 1,000 vehicle trips per day, according to the Norwalk Hour, adding more traffic to an already busy roadway.
The plan would add two additional two-way roadways that connect the store to Connecticut Avenue, The Hour reported.
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The grocery store chain also wants to put up an office building and a two-level parking garage at the new shopping site.
Wegmens plans to build on land off Connecticut Avenue, near Interstate 95, on property occupied now by an office complex owned by MBI Inc., which plans to move to new office space before construction of the new store begins, according to Wegmans.
The Wegmans’ property will be a nearly 95,000 square foot two-level store, along with the two-story garage. The timeframe for opening has not been determined.
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The company said previously that it was seeking municipal approvals for the project.
“Each year we receive hundreds of requests from residents for a store in Connecticut, so we’re excited to bring Wegmans to Norwalk and to get to know our new neighbors,” Colleen Wegman, president and CEO of Wegmans Food Markets, said. “Even before we open the doors to our new store, we’re committed to making a difference in every community we serve.”
Wegmans has been in business since 1916 and operates 106 stores in seven states -- Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The company said the stores have a European open-air market look and feel.
“We are excited by the opportunity that this sale of our property to Wegmans presents,” Peter Maglathlin, CEO and President of MBI, Inc. said in a statement. “Although our current building has served us well over the past several decades, the chance to relocate to modern office space while still keeping our headquarters in Norwalk offers unique advantages to our company and our employees.”
