Land inside the Glennwood Commons shopping center on the city’s east side might soon see development, although not for its original purpose.
The Delaware Planning Commission approved a Combined Preliminary and Final Development Plan from K2 Retail Development for approximately 14.20 acres located between Meijer and Kohl’s on Sunbury Road, once planned to be the site of a Home Depot.
Now proposed is the construction of a 96,100-square-foot building, which would then be divided into several different businesses. Four future tenants have already been identified should the proposal receive final approval.
Hobby Lobby will have the largest of the buildings with a 55,000-square-foot space. A 22,000-square-foot space has been designated for a T.J. Maxx location. Ulta Beauty will have a 10,500-square-foot space, and Five Below will have the smallest of the spaces with an 8,500-square-foot building.
Kris Krstovski, owner of K2 Retail Development, said the size and layout of the buildings follow a prototype those franchises adhere to, meaning the buildings will be identical to other locations.
The development area also allows for an additional space of 12,540 square feet for a future tenant. That space is not included in this plan, however, and would require the developer to submit its own Preliminary and Final Development Plan.
Krstovski told planning commission members the development will bring a significant boost of foot traffic to the shopping center, which he said is all the more reason why he wants to find a tenant for the pending fifth building.
Parking for the location already exists as the parking lot was built as part of the site in 2008. However, the parking lot would need to be seal coated, brought up to grade, and the parking spaces restriped.
In addition to the parking lots being touched up, all the trees, shrubs, and mulching throughout the parking lot will also be refreshed as part of the new construction.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Planning and Community Development Director Dave Efland said of the proposed plans. “Zaremba started this process a long time ago and opened the center, unfortunately for them, right around when the Great Recession was beginning. We’re lucky that the center has been as successful as it has.”
Efland said the absence of an “anchor tenant” hasn’t helped the success of the shopping center. Home Depot was supposed to be that anchor, but Efland said they ultimately decided not to build the location in Delaware in part because the company felt they would wind up hurting the sales of their Orange Township location as many receipts come from Delaware residents.
He went on to say he felt the names of stores that are part of the current proposal “will be exciting to our community, from what I hear.”
With the unanimous approval by planning commission, the development plans will now go before Delaware City Council. The first reading will be held at the next meeting on Monday, Feb. 10. Because that council meeting will be shortened to accommodate the city’s joint meeting with the Delaware City Schools Board of Education, Mayor Carolyn Riggle said the presentation of the plans and the opening for public comment might not happen until the following meeting, which is scheduled for Feb. 24.
