Meijer is planning to open its third store in Grand Traverse County. Blair Township planning commissioners will hold a special meeting next week to review plans for a new 161,221-square-foot Meijer supercenter with a gas station, drive-thru pharmacy, and garden center. The store would be located at 4249 US-31 South next to Menards at Chums Corner, with a new signalized intersection proposed on US-31 a half mile from the main US-31/M-37 light.

Township planning commissioners will hold a special use/site plan review Tuesday, April 1 at 6pm at Blair Township Hall. If approved, the application will go to the township board of trustees for approval on April 22. The two special meetings reflect the urgency with which Meijer is pursuing its construction plans, with architectural and engineering firm Fishbeck – representing Meijer – requesting a timely review and noting the companies are working with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) “concurrently with Blair Township in an effort to shorten the timeline needed to secure both approvals.”

Meijer confirmed to The Ticker the company is “interested in the site” and “currently working through municipal approvals” for a new store, but declined to comment further. However, the company’s plans were detailed in a letter of intent submitted to Blair Township. “The proposed Meijer Supercenter will provide retail services to the greater southern Traverse City area,” Fishbeck wrote. “It will provide the fresh grocery offerings that Meijer customers have come to expect, delicious fruits and vegetables, fresh meat and seafood, daily deli and bakery goods, cooking and baking ingredients, and pre-packaged groceries.”

Like other Meijer stores – including the existing Traverse City location on US-31 and the Acme location on M-72 – the Chums Corner location will have alcohol sales, a bottle return area, and clothing and other general merchandise including toys, pet supplies, sporting goods, electronics, home and auto maintenance supplies, and health and beauty products. An indoor/outdoor seasonal and gardening department, pharmacy with a drive-up window, curbside pick-up for online shopping fulfillment, and gas station with “three grades of gasoline, diesel, and recreation fuel” plus snacks, beverages, and other market supplies are also planned. Both the store and gas station are expected to operate from 6am to 12am, though Meijer requested flexibility to operate 24 hours a day in the future.

The supercenter would be built on a 33-acre site just west of Menards, which currently features a residential home that will be demolished to make way for the project. The site will be served by public water and sewer and feature outlot spaces that could be developed in the future. “The intention would be to have uses consistent with the current commercial-manufacturing zoning,” Fishbeck wrote. “Any future development of the outlot spaces would require a separate site plan approval process. These would be planned for access management and public and private utility service during initial site development.”

Fishbeck and Meijer have been working with MDOT for several months on proposed access to the new store, according to the letter of intent. The firms recently completed a traffic impact study, which recommended “cross-access with Menards, a signalized intersection at the main driveway, a deceleration lane for the westerly driveway, and a right-in/right-out only configuration for the eastern driveway.” The proposed traffic signal would be installed to align with East Commerce Drive near Michigan Trailers – creating a new signalized intersection a half mile from the US-31/M-37 intersection.

The traffic study was submitted to MDOT for review in mid-January for review and approval, according to Fishbeck. “We are requesting a conditional approval of the site plan from Blair Township subject to MDOT’s approval,” Fishbeck wrote. “In the event that MDOT requires modifications to the proposed access management plan, Meijer and Fishbeck will provide a revised site plan to Blair Township.”  

MDOT North Region Communications Representative James Lake says the plan “is still under review” with the state, with no approvals or permits yet issued. If a new signal is installed, highway lane extensions are anticipated to be required around the site – with Meijer responsible for those improvement costs. MDOT has a project planned for 2028 to extend the westbound right-turn lane on  US-31, but that would become two westbound through lanes as part of the upgrades for a new signal, Lake notes.

How close two highway intersections can be together is typically “site dependent,” Lake says, adding that MDOT will compare Meijer’s traffic study to its own internal standards to determine any required improvements. The existing traffic signal at Chums Corner would be coordinated timing-wise with a new signal if installed, Lake says.

Meijer is the latest of several major developments to recently come to Blair Township, including Blain’s Farm & Fleet, Amazon, and a new workforce housing development called Corners Crossing now under construction that will bring almost 200 apartments to Deronda Drive. Those units will be close to the new Meijer, in addition to the neighboring Family Fare. Like other projects, Meijer offers the opportunity to increase the local tax base – which helps Blair Township “continue to provide services, invest in parks and trails, and support fire, police, and EMS,” says Township Supervisor Nicole Blonshine. According to Garfield Township Assessor Amy DeHaan, the existing Meijer store on US-31 in Traverse City generated over $322,000 in taxes (real and personal property taxes combined) in 2023. After the store was remodeled, that figure jumped to over $496,000 in 2024.

Though Meijer must still go through township approvals, Blonshine says the proposal appears to be a “very positive thing for Blair Township in terms of jobs, tax revenue, and convenience.” While rapid growth can sometimes be a concern for residents, Blair Township has worked to funnel its development into high-density commercial districts to preserve its rural character in other areas, Blonshine says.

According to the letter of intent, Meijer plans to finalize a construction and grand opening schedule once its approvals are secured – with “extensive time and investment for the final design and construction permitting processes” to follow.