Wellness center and grocery store coming to Richmond’s East end

The Church Hill North Retail Center, a mixed-use project in Richmond’s East End, is moving forward.

Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health System will develop a health education and wellness center at the center at 25th Street and Nine Mile Road.  Additionally, Norm Gold, a FeedMore executive with a long history of food services experience, will lead the development and management of a new 27,000-square-foot grocery store.

Gold currently serves as the chief operating officer of FeedMore, Central Virginia’s hunger-relief organization serving 34 cities and counties. He oversees the organization’s programs, including Meals on Wheels, Kids Café, Weekend BackPacks and Mobile Pantry programs.

Earlier in his career, Gold worked in the retail grocery field for 24 years.

Gold will begin his new post with the full-service grocery store in January. The projected opening for the store is late 2018. It is expected to create 65 to 70  jobs.

“I am so fortunate to be able to combine both of my passions in this project — helping people and communities and working in the grocery industry. …  I’m truly looking forward to working with Kathie and Steve Markel and the incredible partners included in this project to make a positive difference for Church Hill,” Gold said in a statement.

The health education and wellness center will be located adjacent to the grocery store at the intersection. It will be part of a larger redevelopment initiative that also includes apartments and the culinary institute operated by J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.

The VCU center will complement Bon Secours’ Sarah Garland Jones Center, which is already in the area. More than 15 VCU and VCU Health System academic and clinical units have signed up to offer services and programming at the health education and wellness center.

The 5,600-square-foot center will include health education and screening spaces and a community room. Services will be provided at no charge by interdisciplinary teams of VCU faculty and students who are working either as a community service activity or as part of their academic program. The center is expected to open in late 2018.