Yesterday, we speculated on the possible destination of the Callowhill Whole Foods, which the Inquirer reported on Wednesday would be moving to a nearby location in 2017. And just a couple of hours ago, the Phillydeal$ blog on Philly.com shared the new location, as well as a couple of details on the project.

Current location

According to the report, the Whole Foods will be moving to the 2100 block of Spring Garden Street, currently home to a Best Western Hotel. You may recall, this site was to be the location of the Barnes Tower, a proposed 47-story condo building that was the subject of considerable neighborhood opposition and was ultimately scrapped.

Barnes Tower rendering, image from Planphilly

Now, the hotel will finally come down, and will be replaced by a Whole Foods with underground parking, a cafe, and several additional retail spaces. The complex will also include 250-300 apartment units in a mid-rise residential building, which seems quite appropriate for the area. And dangerously convenient to Whole Foods.

Current view of the Best Western site. Image from Orbitz

We don’t imagine anyone will mourn for the Best Western Hotel, not nearly as much as neighbors will celebrate a sparkling new supermarket and some fancy new construction. Though this project will take several years to execute, we’ll be excited to follow its trajectory. And then enjoy the copious free samples at the Whole Foods grand opening, to boot.