Parsippany Whole Foods Opens On Wednesday

PARSIPPANY, NJ — After several years in the works, Whole Foods will be opening on Wednesday in Parsippany's Waterview Marketplace.

The organic grocery store will open for the day at 9 a.m.; after the first day, it will be open from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily. The first 500 customers will receive a free Whole Foods Market Parsippany reusable tote bag. All shoppers can enjoy complimentary Allegro coffee and pastries from Balthazar Bakery before the store opens.

"We can't wait to welcome the Parsippany community into their new Whole Foods Market," said Scott Earl, Store Team Leader. "We've worked hard to create a store that our neighbors will love, from its responsibly-sourced, local, fresh and innovative product offerings, to its wide variety of grab-and-go options, to its in-store fast casual restaurant, Market Garden."

In addition to groceries, the store will offer a full-service coffee bar, a build-your-own acai bowl station and a self-serve juice bar, and the Market Garden, which the company describes as an "in-store fast casual restaurant featuring artisanal salads, sandwiches and soups with indoor and outdoor seating."

Five percent of the store's opening day net sales will be donated to the New Jersey Highlands Coalition.

The store was first announced in 2012 to mixed reactions from locals: many residents were excited the upscale grocer was coming to town, while others said the proposed location would negatively impact nearby homes. The company was originally hoping to open in 2015, a date that's long passed as the developer, RD Management, sued the township over zoning requirements.

Eventually the town council denied the project, and RD Management refiled plans for the plaza in mid-2014, omitting townhouses. Those plans are what turned into the current Waterview Plaza.