- Kroger is proposing a $40 million Marketplace in Richwood featuring a 99,000-square-foot grocery store, fuel center, wine and spirits store, and a 51,840-square-foot retail center.
- The project would be located less than a mile from the Richwood Publix and is expected to create about 250 full- and part-time jobs if approved.
- Residents voiced concerns over traffic congestion and whether Boone County needs another grocery store, while the proposal heads to the Planning Commission’s Zone Change Committee on July 15.
Northern Kentucky’s grocery store wars are heating up as Kroger is planning a new store-anchored development less than a mile from the Richwood Publix, which opened in 2025.
Kroger, a Fortune 500 grocery chain headquartered in Cincinnati, has prioritized expanding in Northern Kentucky following the entry of Florida-based grocer Publix into the market. Since 2023, Kroger has opened stores in Newport, Union and Edgewood, is constructing another in Cold Spring, and has approved yet another in Alexandria.
During a public hearing hosted by the Boone County Planning Commission on Wednesday, Kroger unveiled plans to develop a new grocery store complex on a 20-acre site at the northeast corner of Frogtown Connector Road and Paddock Drive in the Richwood area.
Specifically, Kroger’s proposal calls for the development of a 99,000-square-foot grocery store, a 7,565-square-foot wine and spirits store, a fuel center with seven double-sided gas pumps, and an approximately 51,840-square-foot multi-tenant retail and restaurant building. The development is titled Richwood Pointe, according to documents provided by the planning commission.
The proposal calls for the grocery store to occupy roughly 13.4 acres. The store will include 424 parking spaces, three loading docks, a pharmacy drive-thru, online grocery pickup spaces, and direct access from both Frogtown Connector Road and Paddock Drive.
In addition, the accompanying multi-tenant retail center will sit on 6.6 acres. The building would include approximately 231 parking spaces and is designed to accommodate multiple commercial tenants. A restaurant with a drive-through will occupy one portion of the building.
The proposed grocery store will be a Kroger Marketplace, which is the company’s supercenter-style store format. Typically, Marketplace stores range from 100,000 to 130,000 square feet in size. In addition to a larger grocery selection, Marketplace locations feature full department-store offerings, including clothing, home goods, toys and large appliances.
To proceed with the development, Kroger has asked for the planning commission to consider changing the acreage’s zoning designation from Employment Planned Development to Commercial Three.
Anne McBride, principal at the consulting firm McBride Dale Clairon, said that the construction and site work are expected to cost around $40 million. Upon completion, she estimates the development will generate about 250 part-time and full-time jobs. McBride represented Kroger at the hearing.
“I’d like to say that in your Boone County Plan 2045, there’s a statement in there about residential growth in the area, especially Triple Crown, that neighborhood and convenience uses should be developed and geared towards residents rather than highway travelers,” McBride said. “I don’t know what’s more geared to neighborhoods than the grocery store that you visit three or four times a week.”
During the public comment portion of the hearing, residents shared concerns about traffic, potential impact to nearby residential neighborhoods, and the oversaturation of grocery stores in Boone County.
Nearby resident Weston Sanford argued that the Richwood Road corridor is already heavily congested and questioned if adding another grocery store was the best use of the land. According to Sanford, there are 11 grocery stores within six miles of Paddock Drive, including Costco and Sam’s Club. The completion of the Union Publix would raise that number to 12.
“I think it’s a saturation, and I think we all agree we understand that that area is going to become developed someday, but I, as a resident there, and talking to my neighbors, don’t feel that that property is best utilized for another grocery store when we have so many so close to us at this time,” Sanford said.
Looking ahead, Kroger’s proposal will be reviewed by the planning commission’s Zone Change Committee on Wednesday, July 15 at 5 p.m.
