DC-area foodies will soon have another major reason to visit the Union Market area.

Trader Joe's has signed a 15k SF lease in the 187-unit mixed-use building under development at 1240 4th St NE and is scheduled to open in the second half of 2017. The California-based grocer announced the deal this morning.

LCOR is building the project, dubbed the Edison Building, and brought on Edens to lease out the 30k SF of ground-floor retail. Now half of that retail is filled with one of the most-coveted anchors in the country: Trader Joe's beats out Whole Foods in increasing neighboring property values.

The grocery store will be two blocks from Union Market and next door to a new, Jose Garces-created Latin marketplace Edens will open in 2018 as part of its 1270 4th St NE project.

It's one of several new Trader Joe's in the pipeline. The chain plans to open a new Rockville store and is committed to opening a store in the Hine School redevelopment on Capitol Hill.