‘A huge step forward.’ New $30 million Kroger on Lexington’s northwest side approved

A new Kroger on the city’s growing northwest side got final approval Thursday from a Fayette County planning body.

The Urban County Planning Commission voted 7-2 Thursday to approve a development plan for the new Kroger Marketplace at 760 Newtown Springs, which is adjacent to an Amazon facility.

The proposed plans include a 122,000 square-foot Kroger Marketplace, which are generally larger stores that include other products beyond groceries. The plans also call for a drive-thru for the pharmacy and a spot for grocery pick-up. It will have an adjoining wine and spirits shop. There will be 476 spaces for the Kroger store.

It will also have a gas station.

The development will also include three other buildings, a restaurant, and two, four-story buildings toward the front of the property near Newtown Pike. The entry into the property will be from Newtown Springs, said Tom Martin, a senior planner with the city.

The tenants for those buildings have not been announced.

Kroger must get a variance approval from the Board of Adjustment for distance requirements for various aspects of the plan. That variance has already been filed and may be heard as early as the Board of Adjustment’s March meeting, Martin said Thursday.

It is also getting a waiver so it does not have to build a service road on the property, which is typically required of developments of that size.

A construction timeline has not been announced.

The new store marks a $30 million investment in an area that’s been identified as a food desert, said Darby Turner, a lawyer for Kroger.

“This is a major investment for this company,” said Turner. “This is a huge step forward for this community.”

Questions about gas stations on Royal Springs Aquifer

The location of the gas station on the property raised some concerns with the Royal Springs Aquifer Committee. The committee, consisting of planning, county and city officials from Fayette and Scott counties, voted against allowing the gas station on the property. The committee’s recommendations are not binding.

The group does not recommend placing gas stations on or near aquifers because of concerns about potential leaks into the water supply. The Royal Springs Aquifer goes from the city of Georgetown to roughly the area around Newtown Pike in Fayette County. There are several gas stations along the aquifer, including one near the intersection of Citation and Newtown Pike not far from Kroger’s proposed gas station, Turner said.

Turner said to Kroger’s knowledge there has never been an underground gas storage leak.

Kroger officials have said their gas safety measures are state-of-the-art, including real-time alert of possible spills and problems, Martin said.

“They have an alarm system that is monitored 24/7,” he said.

However, Planning Commissioner Robin Michler said he lives about four doors down from the Euclid Kroger. There are alarms at that store that go off sometimes for 24 hours. Michler said. He has had to call Kroger management to address those alarms.

“There are limits to alarms,” Michler said.

Michler also said he had concerns about the total number of parking spaces on the property — more than 700. That’s for the three buildings in the front of the property and the grocery store.

“We have a lot of work to do as a city,” Michler said.

Commissioners Michler and Graham Pohl voted against the development plan.

More grocery stores coming

Kroger’s decision to build a new store on Newtown Springs comes as the city is experiencing a boom in new grocery stores, particularly on the city’s northwest side. Residents there have long complained about having too few grocery options in the area.

There are at least 11 other Kroger locations in Lexington already with larger Marketplace locations at Beaumont Centre and Richmond Road.

Lexington also is home to several other grocery chains including Meijer, Aldi, Target, Walmart, Sam’s, Costco, Crossroads IGA, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.

Florida-based grocery chain Publix has announced two stores in Lexington. The first Publix in the Bluegrass will open in the new shopping center at Fountains of Palomar at Harrodsburg Road and Man o’ War Boulevard in 2024. Another has been announced for the Citation Point development at Citation Boulevard and Georgetown Road, not far from the newly planned Kroger Marketplace.