German grocery store Lidl eyes Berlin site
A German grocery chain is saying "Ich bin ein Berliner."
Lidl is planning to construct a store on the south side of Route 50 at its intersection with Route 589 in Berlin, according to local officials and an attorney representing the developer in permitting discussions.
If built, the store would be among the first waves of U.S. locations for Lidl, which operates about 10,000 stores throughout Europe. The discount grocer has announced it will open 20 U.S. stores by the end of summer — all in Virginia and the Carolinas — and will have a total of 100 locations within its first year in the country.
A Lidl spokesman said the company isn't disclosing details yet about individual locations. But public documents filed with local governments suggest at least two stores are under development on the Lower Shore.
A proposal for a Salisbury store emerged about a year ago.
Lidl US Operations LLC sought Wicomico County planners' approval of a groundwater protection plan for a store that would replace the America's Best Value Inn on North Salisbury Boulevard. That request sailed through the regulatory process.
State highway officials have signed off on the store's entrance cuts, and city regulators are reviewing its stormwater management plans, Salisbury Mayor Jake Day said. It's unclear when construction might begin, but it's well ahead of the Berlin location.
BACKGROUND: Salisbury may bag a new grocery store on its north side.
The Berlin store may still be in the earliest of planning phases, but it is stirring questions about extra traffic congestion on one of the main routes to the beach.
Officials with the Maryland State Highway Administration have shared concerns with local officials that changes to the intersection at routes 50 and 589 required by the new store might result in longer backups on Route 50.
As things stand, Route 50 marks the southern terminus of Route 589. If the Lidl is built, the road will be extended south past the intersection and then sweep to the east to connect to an existing frontage road. That road, known as Samuel Bowen Boulevard, carries traffic to the entrances to Wal-Mart, Home Depot and other shopping destinations.
“The whole idea was to get some of that traffic off Route 50 for all those commercial businesses so it doesn’t interfere with that summertime flow," said Ed Tudor, director of the Worcester County Department of Reviewing and Permitting.
Adding a fourth "leg" to the intersection would create additional light phases, leading to longer wait times at the intersection, state highway officials told Tudor and other local officials recently. The agency also said the new store would make it all but impossible to construct an overpass at the intersection, something it has considered for years.
The Worcester County Commissioners are backing the push to extend Route 589 to the frontage road, saying it will "not significantly impact" traffic. Tudor said it's possible that traffic could end up flowing more smoothly, particularly if state officials take down or alter the existing signal at the nearby McDonald's intersection.
As for the overpass, Tudor said local officials have long since abandoned support for the project. It was originally pushed about a decade ago, he said, as an antidote to the casino that was then being planned at Ocean Downs on Route 589. But fears of long traffic jams never materialized after it opened.
A spokesman for Maryland State Highway Administration said the agency is requiring a traffic study as it does for any sizable project.
"If the traffic study results are ultimately acceptable to SHA and the county is on-board with the project, then SHA likely will not have any issues with the proposal," Bob Rager said.
Attorney Mark Cropper, who is representing the store's developer, said the company hopes to break ground on the store as soon as possible.
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