Whole Foods Eyes Lakeview Retail Anchor Slot

Chicago’s Lakeview may be getting another grocery heavyweight, and a long-empty retail development could finally seize its anchor tenant.

Whole Foods Market is expected to open at 827 West Belmont Avenue, taking a large chunk of the Lakeview Connection building, according to the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce. The announcement, first reported by Block Club Chicago, points to a potential turnaround for the two-level, 60,000-square-foot project that has struggled to snag tenants since its 2023 debut.

The space has sat mostly dark for nearly two years, with only a Fifth Third Bank branch operating on a corner of the property. Developed by Chicago-based Hubbard Street Group, the project was envisioned as a retail hub at the busy intersection of Belmont Avenue and Halsted Street, according to the publication, but leasing momentum never materialized. Representatives for the developer did not respond to requests for comment.

A grocery tenant has long been central to the site’s leasing strategy. Amazon Fresh was previously slated to open there, but those plans stalled before launch. Earlier this year, Amazon said it would shutter its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go formats, with some locations expected to be converted into Whole Foods stores — a shift that now appears to benefit Lakeview.

If finalized, the deal would give Whole Foods a third foothold in the immediate area, adding to existing stores on North Halsted Street and North Ashland Avenue. The clustering underscores the chain’s continued success in the dense North Side neighborhoods, even as other grocery concepts retrench.

The property itself comes with some baggage. It replaced a century-old bank building that was demolished in 2021 despite preservation pushback, raising the stakes for the new development to succeed, according to the outlet.

The Whole Foods opening would mark the latest in a string of planned Chicago expansions for the grocer, which recently confirmed another store in Wicker Park. No timeline for the Lakeview store has been announced, and neither Whole Foods nor Amazon has commented publicly.

— Eric Weilbacher