When Giant Foods closed their Plaza Del Marcado location, it left a great void for the surrounding neighborhoods. There isn't a place to just stop and pick up a quick gallon of milk or fixins for dinner any longer, and there is definitly a void of healthy foods in this region. The Plaza Del Marcado shopping center is in desperate need of an anchor store and we believe Trader Joe's is just the ticket.

Plaza del Mercado is located in Montgomery County, at the intersection of Bel Pre Road and Layhill Road in Silver Spring, MD. This property has a total of 96,000 square feet and 611 parking spaces. The population in a 3 mile radius is approximately 110,576 with an average household income of $123,078. The property includes a Starbucks, Advanced Auto Parts and CVS among many others. The empty space left by Giant Foods is 25,233 sq. ft.. A full demographic report is available at: http://www.federalrealty.com/media/propidex/801-8010/Plaza_del_Mercado_Demographics_1.pdf. A Site Plan for the shopping center is available at: http://www.federalrealty.com/media/property_documents/Plaza_del_Mercado_Site_Plan.pdf.This location is easily accessible from the new MD200 Inter County Connector and multiple local roads. Additionally, this location is within three miles of a USDA designated 'food desert' - see map: http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-desert-locator/go-to-the-locator.aspx (input zip code 20906 to search).

Sign this petition to help us gain a Trader Joe's store at Plaza Del Marcado for the good of our neighbors, our neighborhoods and our local economy.