A grocery store is coming to the Springline at District 60 development in Chesterfield County, and a trail of permits, architect records and a leasing flyer all point toward the same name: Trader Joe's. County filings don't actually identify a tenant, and the company itself isn't saying a word, but the clues are piling up fast.
Sources familiar with the plan told Richmond BizSense that Trader Joe's is anticipated to open at the Springline center, even though the chain has not formally announced a store there. A Trader Joe's spokesperson declined to comment on whether the company planned to plant its flag at Springline, and separately told the outlet the company has no details to share about a new store in the area.
The circumstantial evidence is notable. A building permit filed last month describes a 12,500-square-foot retail building planned for the southwest corner of the Springline development, and the project's architectural elevations reportedly show design features similar to Trader Joe's stores. The building's site plan also lists New York-based Taylor Associates Architects as the designer, a firm that has designed multiple Trader Joe's locations elsewhere.
A Leasing Flyer and a Shifting Size Estimate
A Springline leasing flyer, handled by the Segall Group, identifies the site as the future home of a grocery store and states that it is anticipated to open in summer 2027. The future grocery store site, at 100 Springline Drive, is currently owned by the Chesterfield Economic Development Authority, which has sold portions of the former Spring Rock Green shopping center property to developers as the broader project has taken shape.
There's a wrinkle in the numbers, though. The recently filed permit describes a 12,500-square-foot retail building, while a 2023 report from WTVR described the planned, then-unidentified grocery store as 15,000 to 20,000 square feet. Nothing in the available record explains the gap or confirms which figure will apply to the finished building.
Part of a Billion-Dollar Mixed-Use Push
Springline at District 60 spans 42 acres at the interchange of Midlothian Turnpike and Chippenham Parkway, and the overall development is valued at $1 billion. When complete, the project is expected to include more than 1,200 dwellings, two hotels — including a Hilton under construction by Shamin Hotels — and 300,000 square feet of office space, some of which is already occupied by the Timmons Group.
The grocery store would sit near The James, an apartment building developed by Collins Enterprises, where Rancho Cucamonga and Cold Stone Creamery are anticipated to open on the ground level. If Trader Joe's does end up at Springline, it would be at least the second new Trader Joe's location in development in the Richmond region.
A Growing Grocery Footprint Across the Region
Trader Joe's recently confirmed plans to open a store at the upcoming Midtown 64 development in western Henrico, a redevelopment of the former Genworth campus at 6610 W. Broad St. Multiple sources had earlier told Richmond BizSense that Trader Joe's was the confirmed grocery tenant there, as the outlet reported in a December report on the Genworth campus plans. The chain currently operates two stores in the Richmond region, one in Short Pump and one in South Richmond at the Stony Point Village shopping center.
A company spokesperson said Trader Joe's is searching nationally for new locations, telling the outlet: “We are actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country as we hope to open more new neighborhood stores each year.” The chain also lists stores opening soon on its own website, though no Chesterfield location currently appears there.
Grocery competition in Chesterfield is heating up regardless of how the Springline question resolves. The county's first Whole Foods was set to open the following week at the Midlothian Depot project, and Publix announced plans in September to open a store near Brandermill. Whether Trader Joe's joins that lineup at Springline remains, for now, an educated guess built on permits and plans rather than a confirmed deal.
