Las Vegas, NV – At RECon, the annual meeting of the International Council of Shopping Centers, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Rappaport Development, and WC Smith announced plans for Lidl US to open its first store in Washington, DC at Skyland Town Center, an 18-acre site located in Ward 7 at the intersection of Good Hope Road, Naylor Road, and Alabama Avenue SE. In January, the Mayor broke ground on Good Food Markets in the Bellevue community in Ward 8, making Lidl the second major announcement about bringing a new grocery store East of the River in the first six months of the Mayor’s second term.
“Lidl is a fantastic grocery store – a grocery store that we are proud to be bringing to the residents of Ward 7,” said Mayor Bowser. “Lidl knows what we know: Every corner of Washington, DC is a great place to do business. As we continue working to make our city’s prosperity more inclusive, this partnership is a reflection of the work we are doing to bring high-quality resources and amenities to every part of our city – amenities that will set our families and neighborhoods up for long-term success.”
The Skyland Development Team secured the lease with Lidl US, a grocer that operates more than 65 stores across nine East Coast states. Joining CVS and other restaurant and service uses, Lidl will occupy 29,089 square feet within the Skyland development. The store will be the first internationally recognized full-service supermarket to enter Wards 7 and 8 since 2007.
“We are committed to opening stores in the most convenient location for our customers,” said Johannes Fieber, CEO of Lidl US. “We selected Skyland Town Center because it offers District residents an easily accessible, convenient and visible site. Understanding the history of the site and the tremendous anticipation from the community, we look forward to building a store customized for the shoppers of Skyland Town Center.”
Rappaport and WC Smith, who led the retail and residential leasing, partnered with the District Government as well as other entities such as the Washington East Foundation and Skyland DC to redevelop Skyland Town Center over the last 15 years.
“Lidl’s decision to locate at Skyland Town Center means that our future residents will have a top-quality supermarket at their doorstep,” says WC Smith CEO, Chris Smith. “WC Smith has long been active in this part of Southeast Washington, as we manage 4,300 apartments in Wards 7 and 8. Having Lidl so conveniently located will provide a significant boost to the neighborhood and a much-needed service to the people who live there.”
Lidl’s unique and thriving supermarket concept offers high-quality grocery products as well as a variety of household goods and will provide a diversified product assortment to residents in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River who have grappled with a lack of retail and grocery options.
“I have dedicated myself to this project and built treasured relationships within this community, so success at Skyland Town Center is more important to me than any other project,” says Gary D. Rappaport, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rappaport. “Like so many great ones, the story of Skyland Town Center is rich and multilayered, and soon Washingtonians will be able to experience the much-anticipated Skyland Town Center vision in real life. We are so pleased to welcome Lidl to Skyland Town Center and thrilled to bring an innovative, modern retailer with fresh options to this deserving neighborhood.”
As part of Mayor Bowser’s efforts to bring shopping, dining, and entertainment amenities to residents in all eight wards, city officials attend the International Council of Shopping Centers with the Washington, DC Economic Partnership to encourage investments in DC neighborhoods; WDCEP first met with Lidl representatives in 2014, providing an overview of numerous sites and has been providing a variety of resources to their team including a site selection tour. Since 2000, DC’s retail attraction efforts have produced more than 300 stores and restaurants opening, creating nearly 15,000 jobs and more than $116 million in annual sales tax revenue.
Skyland Town Center’s first phase of 84,500 square feet of retail includes CVS, which has been operating in a temporary trailer during construction, and 263 apartments to open in the fourth quarter of 2020. Upon completion, Skyland Town Center will have up to 135,000 square feet of retail and 450 to 500 residential apartments in a vibrant town square setting.