By Gordon Anderson | gordon@rantnc.com
The company redeveloping Riverbirch Corner in west Sanford hasn’t announced all of its tenants yet, but a major clue about the identity of a planned “new to market grocery store” recently appeared online.
As of Wednesday, November 5, Google Maps shows “Harris Teeter Sanford” at the location, positioned on the region of the Spring Lane complex where Belk most recently stood.
Ohio-based commercial developer CASTO purchased the Riverbirch property in 2022 after years of decline. The company came to terms in the fall of 2025 with Sanford and Lee County governments on a deal to redevelop the shopping center around a Target and a “new to market” grocery store in exchange for $6.4 million in reimbursements for water and sewer infrastructure upgrades associated with the project.
While the largest of the retailers – Target – has been known from the outset, the grocery store hasn’t yet been named. The Google Maps listing is the first public indication that it could be Harris Teeter, a North Carolina-based grocery chain with more than 250 stores in the south and mid-Atlantic regions. CASTO couldn’t be reached Wednesday to confirm whether the Google listing is correct.
CASTO has previously told The Rant that Belk, Boot Barn and 7 Brew Coffee are among the new retailers confirmed. Riverbirch Corner is expected to reopen in late 2027 or early 2028.