By 1808Delaware
Delaware’s rapidly growing east-side retail corridor is getting one of its biggest names yet. Target is coming to Trailhead Crossing, the new commercial development taking shape along US 36/SR 37 on the city’s east side, according to a report Friday by Columbus Business First. The retailer will serve as the big-box anchor for a later phase of the project.
The announcement fills in a significant blank in plans for Trailhead Crossing. When financing for the development was announced in August, developers disclosed that a future phase would be anchored by a “big-box national retailer,” but did not identify the company. Now that retailer has a name.
A Growing Lineup
Trailhead Crossing is being developed by GTZ Properties of Highland Park, Illinois, along the north side of US 36/SR 37 east of Skyview Lane. City planning documents describe the principal western portion of the project as approximately 10.3 acres, while financing materials have described the overall Trailhead Crossing development as covering about 12 acres.
Target will eventually join a roster of businesses already headed to the development. Plans for the first phase include three freestanding buildings occupied by Chick-fil-A, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Take 5 Oil Change. Another three-tenant building is expected to house Dunkin’, Nothing Bundt Cakes and Pacific Dental Services. One of two additional pad-ready sites was also under agreement for sale to a national daycare company when Associated Bank announced construction financing in August.
Associated Bank provided GTZ Properties with a $9 million loan for development of the project. The bank said the first-phase tenants are expected to be open by spring 2027.
From Restaurants to a Major Retail Anchor
Target substantially changes the scale of what Trailhead Crossing will ultimately become. Until now, most of the publicly identified tenants have been restaurants, service businesses and smaller retail operations. The addition of a major department-store retailer gives the development a destination anchor capable of drawing customers from well beyond the immediate neighborhood.
It also adds another major piece to a retail corridor that has been steadily intensifying along US 36/SR 37.
Trailhead Crossing sits near an established cluster of east-side shopping destinations and comes as other major commercial investment continues in the area. What was already one of Delaware’s busiest commercial approaches is increasingly becoming a regional shopping corridor serving both the city and surrounding portions of Delaware County.
City documents show that Trailhead Crossing was conceived from the beginning as more than a collection of restaurant pads. GTZ sought a commercial planned unit development designation for the property to accommodate a range of future commercial uses, including retail and restaurants. The developer has described the project as a mix of retailers, restaurants, services and amenities intended to serve one of the Midwest’s fastest-growing areas.
More Details Still to Come
Several important details about Target’s plans have not yet surfaced publicly. An exact store size, construction timetable and anticipated opening date have not been announced, and the Target phase is separate from the first round of businesses expected to begin opening during 2027. Those details will determine just how substantial the store will be and when shoppers can expect to see construction begin.
But the central question surrounding Trailhead Crossing’s second phase has now been answered. The unnamed national retailer waiting in the wings is Target, adding another major shopping destination to a part of Delaware that continues to change quickly.
