🔒Former Whole Foods plaza in Wayland to feature event hall, restaurants, Terrain store following $7M sale

Framingham-based Grossman Development Group purchased the former site of a Whole Foods in Wayland for $6.68 million, part of a plan with the parent company of Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie to redevelop the site. Grossman purchased the site at 297 Boston Post Road from New York-based KPR Centers in a deal finalized on Friday, according to real estate data provider CoStar. The purchase comes after the Town of Wayland Zoning Board of Appeals approved Grossman's plans in June to redevelop the site, plans which include the construction of a farm-to-table restaurant and a 9,000-square-foot event hall for 175 guests. Grossman is working on the project on behalf of Philadelphia-based URBN, the parent company of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and garden and home brand Terrain, among other brands. Grossman intends to lease the site to URBN upon completion of construction, with a Terrain store being located at the site, according to the Wayland Post, which first reported news of the plans. The ZBA signed off on the project with a 5-0 vote, according to Town documents. The site has been mostly vacant since Whole Foods closed their location there in 2017 as the company opened a larger and more modern store in nearby Sudbury, according to Wicked Local. Florida-based developer Mill Creek Residential had planned on constructing apartments at the site, but those plans fell through in 2024 due to a denied special permit, according to Patch. Grossman owns and/or manages retail plazas and mixed-use sites. The firm handles leasing for the Lakeway Commons plaza in Shrewsbury, according to CoStar, and is the retail development and leasing partner for the ongoing 50-acre mixed-use development in Littleton known as King Street, according to Grossman’s website. Founded in 2009 as an outgrowth of Katz Properties, KPR had purchased the site for $6.3 million in 2013. Built in 1961, the shopping center contains 30,646 square feet of retail space, according to Town of Wayland property records. The site received a 2025 tax assessment value of $5.17 million. Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.