Multi-tenant retail
Construction Starts on Whole Foods-Anchored District at Black Rock in Collegeville
Hightop Development has broken ground on a 28-acre Montgomery County mixed-use center that is 89% preleased to Whole Foods and other national retail tenants.
Key Takeaways
- Hightop Development broke ground on The District at Black Rock, a 28-acre former Quest Diagnostics campus in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, with delivery targeted for the fourth quarter of 2027.
- The project is planned for 120,000 square feet of retail plus 120 owner-occupied townhomes and is 89% preleased, with Whole Foods Market, L.L. Bean, Sephora, and Barnes & Noble on the roster.
- MSC says no new shopping centers have been built in the submarket for nearly two decades, citing high construction costs despite low vacancy and strong demand.
The Details
According to Bisnow’s Philadelphia Deal Sheet (Sept. 30, 2026), Hightop Development has started construction on The District at Black Rock at 1201 Collegeville Road in Montgomery County. The project sits on a 28-acre former Quest Diagnostics campus and is expected to deliver in the fourth quarter of 2027 with 120,000 square feet of retail and 120 owner-occupied townhomes.
Bisnow reports the project is 89% preleased, citing a LinkedIn post from MSC principal Douglas Green that lists Whole Foods Market, L.L. Bean, Sephora, and Barnes & Noble among the tenants. MSC also said no new shopping centers have been built in the submarket for nearly two decades, with high construction costs limiting new suburban retail supply around Philadelphia even as vacancy stays low and demand remains strong.
Why It Matters
Grocery-anchored and national-tenant retail is a core hold for many small and mid-sized net-lease and strip buyers. A rare new suburban center that is already largely preleased to Whole Foods and other credit-quality names signals where retailers are still willing to commit rent years ahead of delivery—and where competing supply may stay constrained.
What's Next
Watch lease-up of the remaining roughly 11% of retail space and any pad or outparcel sales as the 2027 delivery approaches. Investors underwriting Philly-suburban grocery and lifestyle retail should treat this as a supply datapoint: little new product has come online for years, which can support rents and occupancy at existing centers until this project opens.
