Where does a Delaware household on the east side go for groceries, gas, coffee and a birthday cake? A year ago the answer was a few separate trips. By next May, if the developers' dates hold, most of that list will sit within a short drive of the US-36/SR-37 and Sunbury Road interchange.
None of it arrived at once. The corridor is being built in steps: the road work had to finish before the grocery store could work, and the grocery store is now drawing the next round of businesses. Knowing that order tells you which trips change this fall, which change in spring, and which won't change for years.
The Roundabout Had to Come First
The piece most people hit before they ever reach the new Kroger is Glenn Road. The City of Delaware tied a set of improvements to the Kroger Marketplace project, all on Glenn Road between Mill Run Crossing and US-36/SR-37: a wider road, turn lanes for the Kroger and Meijer entrances, a new roundabout at Mill Run Crossing, and Nutter Farms Lane extended west to meet it.
That work took a 60-day full closure, with traffic sent around on Curve Road, Lackey Old State Road and US-36/SR-37. According to the City Engineer's October report, Glenn Road reopened on schedule the night of Sept. 18. Nutter Farms Lane now runs between Glenn Road and Davidson Lane, and the remaining work along the roadside is expected to have minimal traffic impact. The city's active-projects web page still says the closure "will start in late July 2026," so the engineer's report is the newer of the two.
That new connection matters for getting in and out of the store. The development plan presented in 2025 described three full-access entrances, plus a right-in, right-out entrance on Sunbury Road near the fuel center, with more entrances off Glenn Road and the Nutter Farms Lane extension. On a busy Saturday you'll have more than one way into the lot.
Delaware's Third Kroger
The store at 1650 Sunbury Road opened Friday, Oct. 2, after about a year of construction. NBC4 reported it as a 118,000-square-foot, $33 million Marketplace. The City's September 2025 announcement had projected 120,000 square feet and $39 million. The post-opening numbers are the ones that describe the store as built.
Earlier NBC4 coverage of the project called it Kroger's third Delaware location, alongside the two existing stores.
| Kroger location | Address | Side of town |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus Pike | 1840 Columbus Pike | South |
| Houk Road | 801 N. Houk Road | West |
| Delaware Marketplace | 1650 Sunbury Road | East |
For the chain, this is unusual. Columbus Business First noted that Kroger went 15 years without opening a net new store in Central Ohio, and the Delaware store is its third since 2024. The other two were Jerome Village in November 2024 and Home Road in Powell in November 2025.
The Marketplace format adds departments the smaller stores don't have. NBC4 listed produce, deli, bakery, meat, seafood, sushi and apparel, along with a Murray's Cheese shop, a fuel center and a dedicated grocery pickup area. Kroger's store page also lists a drive-through pharmacy.
A few practical details from Kroger's store listing, as of mid-October:
- Store hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
- Pharmacy, weekdays: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Pharmacy, Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Pharmacy, Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Daily pharmacy break: closed 1 to 1:30 p.m.
That half-hour midday break is easy to forget if you're picking up a prescription over lunch.
What the City Counted Before the Kroger Opened
The Kroger came near the end of a busy year on the corridor. Speaking at the Trailhead Crossing groundbreaking the day before Kroger's opening, City Manager Paul Brake said that in the past year 16 businesses on Sunbury Road had opened or would open soon, Delaware Source reported. He named a Chase bank, 7 Brew, McDonald's and the new Kroger.
The 7 Brew drive-thru at 1424 Sunbury Road held its grand opening on June 22, 2026, according to Delaware Source. So the coffee stop came about three months before the grocery store, and the road work landed between them.
Trailhead Crossing, Across From City Barbeque
Next up is Trailhead Crossing. Chicago-based GTZ Properties broke ground on phase one on Oct. 1. NBC4 described the site as Sunbury Road east of Skyview Lane and south of Biltmore Drive. Delaware Source put it in simpler terms: a vacant lot of more than 10 acres in front of the Seattle House Apartments and across Sunbury Road from City Barbeque.
Seven phase-one tenants have been confirmed:
- Chipotle
- Chick-fil-A
- Dunkin' Donuts
- Nothing Bundt Cakes
- Pacific Dental
- Take 5 Oil Change
- A national daycare provider, not yet named
On groundbreaking day, construction had not yet started on any of those buildings. GTZ Managing Principal Mitch Goltz said they would begin going up within weeks, and that more phase-one building slots are still unfilled. He gave Delaware Source a target date:
"These retail tenants are looking to open some time in the spring, probably May."
As part of the project, GTZ will extend Biltmore Drive east to reach the new businesses. That's the same pattern as Glenn Road: the road connection gets built alongside the stores.
Goltz also explained to Delaware Source why he chose these tenants, saying they fill gaps the area had been asking for: "The people that we're bringing here have been voids in the market and the community." The list is mostly quick, repeat errands like an oil change, a dental visit, coffee, a quick lunch and daycare. Paired with a full-size grocery store, those are the trips a household makes every week.
The Target Is the Slowest Piece
Phase two is a single store. GTZ has proposed a Target on a roughly 16-acre parcel just east of phase one. In Goltz's words to Delaware Source, "across the stream." The parcel is currently owned by Nutter Farm Inc., according to the Delaware County Auditor's website as cited by Delaware Source.
As of NBC4's Oct. 17 report, the Target proposal was still in the government approval process, and Goltz estimated an opening in 2028 or 2029. The city of Delaware doesn't currently have a Target. Goltz told Delaware Source that residential development is proposed to the north, and that the full Trailhead Crossing project will cover more than 50 acres and bring more than $100 million in new investment.
Until approvals are final, treat the Target as a proposal with an estimated date.
The Corridor, in the Order It Opens
| When | What | Status |
|---|---|---|
| June 22, 2026 | 7 Brew, 1424 Sunbury Road | Open |
| Sept. 18, 2026 | Glenn Road and Mill Run Crossing roundabout | Reopened |
| Oct. 1, 2026 | Trailhead Crossing phase one | Groundbreaking held |
| Oct. 2, 2026 | Kroger Marketplace, 1650 Sunbury Road | Open |
| Spring 2027, "probably May" | Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, Dunkin', Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pacific Dental, Take 5 Oil Change, daycare | Under development |
| 2028 or 2029 | Target, Trailhead Crossing phase two | Proposed, in approvals |
For an east-side household, the grocery store, fuel, pickup and pharmacy are already open, and most of the quick stops arrive next spring. The big-box piece is still years out.
If you live near Sunbury Road and want to know how all this new activity shows up when neighbors list their homes, or how it might play into your own plans, the MORE Ohio Team follows this corridor street by street. Reach out and Josh Cooper will walk you through what's changed near your address. Work With Us.
