On Wednesday, the development team responsible for the Olmsted Lot construction announced that it will not pursue plans to include a grocery market on the empty lot. Armada Hoffler, the development firm, released a statement explaining that it will not include a grocery store as a result of community pressures urging the firm and University to instead pursue other options.
“Well this was a decision made by the developers, and certainly the community sentiment that’s been expressed in some public meetings over the past few weeks has obviously had a very significant impact on the decision,” Dennis O’Shea, Johns Hopkins Executive Director of Media Relations and Crisis Communications, said.
Over the past couple of weeks, residents of the Charles Village community have expressed opposition to a proposal by Armada Hoffler to include a grocery market in the vacant lot on St. Paul’s Street across from Barnes & Noble.
Much opposition has centered around not wanting to jeopardize business for Eddie’s Market, a local grocery store that has been on St. Paul’s Street for 50 years.
“The community very much got behind me in support to tell the developers they did not want a grocery store, and I think this was very instrumental in influencing Hopkins and the developer not to do it,” the owner of Eddie’s Market, Jerry Gordon, said. “We’re just very thankful for the support of the community that we got.”
Gordon was thrilled upon finding out that the Olmsted Lot will not include another grocery market. He expressed that another grocery store would have been a concern for Eddie’s.
“We were elated. It’s unknown at this time and really a moot point, but we think it would have probably been very disruptive,” Gordon said.
While a grocery market was being considered as a viable option for the Olmsted Lot, it was not definitive.
“The original plans were to explore the possibility of whether or not a grocery store would be a good fit, and it’s been determined now that it will not be a good fit,” O’Shea said.
The current designs for the lot are still not final.
“It’s still basically the same, it’s just that the anchor commercial tenant will not be a grocery store. It’ll still be a mixed-use development with a garage and street-level retail, and some housing. The whole mix will still be determined, but it’s safe to say that it will not include a grocery store,” O’Shea said.
The grocery market option was explored to benefit the community.
“Well certainly the consideration in favor of a grocery store would have been convenience and choice and opportunity for students, and for the entire community — both neighborhood and university — so that was certainly on one side of the balance. The other side of the balance certainly includes the community sentiment about the need for another store,” O’Shea said.
As for Eddie’s, the market will continue to function as the community’s local market.
“We’re pretty much the hub of the community. It’s a place people come on a daily basis. If you’re a Hopkins student, then probably you’ve been there. And the neighbors rely on us to keep the place alive. We’re there every day of the year, we’re open during storms, we’ve been a good neighbor for 51 years and we hope to be there many, many more,” Gordon said.
