FreshCo grocery store under construction off Rest Acres Road

A rendering shows the planned FreshCo and Shoppers Drug Mart development at 10 Markel Drive, part of a new 50,000-square-foot commercial plaza now under construction off Rest Acres Road in Paris.

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

A long-awaited new grocery option is officially on its way to Paris, with construction now underway for a FreshCo store at 10 Markel Drive, just off Rest Acres Road. The development comes as many residents express growing frustration over limited local grocery choices and increasing traffic congestion around routes to existing stores.

For years, west- and south-end neighbourhoods have relied on No Frills on Dundas St E or Sobeys on Grand River Street North in the town’s north end, a trip that often requires navigating busy corridors or travelling through the downtown core, which has been inaccessible until recently. The new FreshCo aims to ease that pressure by bringing a full-service grocery store closer to the fast-growing Rest Acres Road residential area.

The store is part of a 50,000-square-foot commercial plaza led by Maverick Developments, with construction by The Cecchini Group. Initial planning discussions were held in May during a County of Brant Committee of Adjustment meeting, where details surrounding parking, pedestrian access and site layout were reviewed.

During that meeting, agent Brooke Burlock of Zelinka Priamo Ltd., representing the applicant, answered questions from committee members about site functionality. Ten parking spaces will be used for temporary snow storage before removal off-site, she noted. Burlock also confirmed that rollover curbs at the main entrance, slightly raised and painted, are not meant for general public use.

A sidewalk will run along the curve of Hutchings Road and along Markel Drive, but there will be no pedestrian access from the east side of Hutchings. Committee members asked whether the building footprints could be adjusted to better fit the lot, but Burlock said the design was fixed and both FreshCo and Shoppers Drug Mart, the two confirmed anchor tenants, were satisfied with the approved plan. Despite concerns about the lot size raised by at least one committee member, no public objections were submitted during the meeting.

The new plaza is expected to serve thousands of residents in a rapidly expanding part of Paris, where commercial services have struggled to keep up with residential growth. While an opening date has not yet been announced, construction is well underway and the grocery store is expected to significantly improve shopping convenience for households south of Highway 403. More details, including timelines and additional plaza tenants, are expected in the coming months.