Austin’s first Whole Foods 365 store will be at Plaza Saltillo

Plaza Saltillo, the 10-acre, multiuse development under construction along the rail tracks just east of I-35, will be the home of Austin’s first Whole Foods 365 store, according to a Tuesday joint announcement from the grocery chain and Endeavor, one of the site’s two developers.

According to a press release, Whole Foods recently signed a lease for approximately 30,000 square feet of the development,where it will open its first Market 365—the grocery monolith’s branch of stores meant to offer more affordable, high-quality food along with the highly branded experience and events typical of a conventional Whole Foods store. The Plaza Saltillo location will be the first for a Market 365 in Austin, although nearby Cedar Park acquired one in 2017.

Developers tapped the lauded local Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, which is already extensively involved in the development of the Saltillo site, to design the new store. Hsu is renowned for his local residential and restaurant design, as well as more recent, larger projects that manifest a vision to weave multiuse developments into existing neighborhoods, including such spaces as Canopy, Lamar Union, and Springdale General.

Courtesy of Endeavor Real Estate Group

Austin City Council Member Sabino “Pío” Renteria, whose district includes Saltillo Plaza, expressed support for the Whole Foods 365 store, noting that “access to fresh healthy fruits and vegetables was a major request” from the beginning of public discussion about the development.

The Plaza Saltillo Market 365 is expected to open in the second half of 2019.

• Step Inside Whole Foods’ First Affordable Supermarket in Texas [Eater ATX]