Developer proposes 150 apartments for Raleigh Whole Foods shopping center

A proposed development would replace part of the Ridgewood Shopping Center on Wade Avenue with an apartment building and new retail space, according to plans on file at city hall.

The construction would not alter business spaces in the main part of the strip mall, which includes Quail Ridge Books and Music and a Whole Foods grocery store. It would, however, replace the current home of a Bruegger’s Bagels and a Tripps restaurant.

The plans call for construction of 150 apartments of various sizes, from studios to three-bedroom units.

The 79-foot-tall building would include offices and new retail space, the plan indicates. Ridgewood Shopping Center also might add two new commercial spaces, including an outdoor dining terrace, on the east end of the main building.

In all, Ridgewood Shopping Center would demolish about 22,000 square feet of retail space while adding 121,000 square feet of apartment space and about 18,000 square feet of new stores and shops.

“We think if we were lucky enough to get site-plan approval, Ridgewood would be a great site for a true mixed-use project,” said Andrew Techet, president of developer CCH Properties.

The project also would replace an office building just east of the main building. The original building dates to 1951, according to property records, and the site belongs to Ridgewood Shopping Center LLC.

The plan, titled SP-16-15, must be approved by the planning commission but not necessarily the City Council.

This story was originally published March 30, 2015 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Developer proposes 150 apartments for Raleigh Whole Foods shopping center."