But not in the way the Bloomington City Plan Commission thinks ?is best.
Indianapolis’ Simon Mall Property has proposed the introduction of Whole Foods Market to the Bloomington College Mall in place of the existing Sears store. Though the arrival of the new grocer could open up the local food market, the logistics of the plan raised questions among Plan Commissioners ?on Tuesday.
The designs for the new Whole Foods boast an attractive, modern and inviting exterior on the west side of the building that would face College Mall Road. However, the north side of the building would be mostly dark, heavy metal, a very industrial look for those observing the store from Third Street.
“It has a very strong warehouse look to it, rather than a grocery store,” Plan Commissioner Pat Williams said. “If people are coming in off of Third Street, that is also a major thoroughfare.”
These concerns were shared by the rest of the commission. In addition to the industrial aesthetic, the design includes large use of standing metal, which is a material not permitted in Bloomington. As a very visible side of the mall, Simon Mall and Whole Foods should propose a new design, commissioner ?Chris Smith said.
“It needs to be dealt with architecturally,” Smith said, adding he does not have a problem with the standing metal material.
The architecture is not the only aspect of Simon Mall’s proposal that needs improvement, commissioners said. The new parking and traffic flow plans would be tight given the amount of rain gardens and green space the company would like to see. The many sharp right turns in the plan are worrisome, too, ?Williams said.
“It’s the second most horrible entrance to a mall in town,” commissioner Jack Baker said of the mall’s northwest entrance from College Mall Road. “The other one is Wal-Mart.”
The plan proposes creating two standing restaurants as part of College Mall, a Panera Bread with a drive-thru and a BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse. The logistics of the drive-thru are of concern for the commissioners, given the tight traffic flow. It’s a similar setup as the east side’s Chick-fil-A drive-thru but in a tighter location, Planning and Transportation Director Tom Micuda said.
The commissioners’ takeaway from Tuesday’s meeting is to direct Simon Mall’s attention to the north façade of Whole Foods and investigate the location of Panera’s end, with the understanding it is not as big of a site as Chick-Fil-A was and has different entry points, Micuda said.
“Or maybe the drivers will figure it out,” Micuda said, followed by laughter at the meeting.
“They may run into each other, but they’ll figure it out,” Commissioner Chris Sturbaum said.
The meeting was open to the public. It had plenty of valuable information, but an important discussion of a timeline was missing, said Jeff Jewel, chairperson for the City Commission of Sustainability.
“I was really glad to hear the questions coming out of the plan commission members,” Jewel said. “It’s obvious that both the planning commission and the architecture have valid long-term concerns about what Bloomington and one of the entrances to our city looks like.”
Jewel is also the Director of Communications for Bloomingfoods, a locally-owned grocery store and farmer’s cooperative. The announcements of Whole Foods and Lucky’s Market, another natural food supplier coming to Bloomington’s south side, have sparked discussion and debate on social media regarding the future of the local co-op.
Carmel, Ind., native and IU sophomore Sean Beuhler said he shops at Carmel’s Whole Foods twice a month when he’s home. Though he said that he can’t say for sure which store is more expensive, his bill at Whole Foods is always lower.
“I think part of that is that Whole Foods has a wider selection, therefore I can choose the cheaper option more easily than if I’m at Bloomingfoods,” Beuhler said. “I can afford the occasional trip to Bloomingfoods, but shopping there all the time adds up quickly.”
Jewel said he is optimistic that Whole Foods and Lucky’s can help Bloomingfoods grow as a co-op and that all three stores can work together as suppliers of organic, natural and healthy foods.
Buehler said he shops at Bloomingfoods for niche items while in Bloomington, and in his experience, the co-op seems to cater to a demographic that he does not belong to.
“Their prices and services here seem to cater to the upper to upper-middle class,” Buehler said. “I think a Whole Foods in Bloomington would be extremely beneficial to the community. Competition is a great thing for customers, and competing against a large company such as Whole Foods could force Bloomingfoods to closely examine the way they operate.”
But before Whole Foods comes to town, it and Simon Mall will have some close examination to do.
Micuda ended the Whole Foods discussion with the “takeaway” that the Plan Commission will ask Simon Mall about their long-term vision for College Mall and how an organic grocery store would fit into that.
“We want to get Simon’s take,” Micuda said. “Is this coming from Simon? Is it coming from Whole Foods? We haven’t asked the questions.”
Certainly, shoppers are curious to know how Whole Foods and Lucky’s will look next to Bloomingfoods.
“I was pleased to hear them taking a long-term approach,” Jewel said. “I’m looking forward to hearing what the developers have to say about that.”
