Wegmans has signed a deal to buy more than 62 acres in Cornelius, locking down a second Charlotte-area location before its Ballantyne store even opens.

The Rochester, N.Y.-based grocer reached an agreement with Atrium Health to purchase property near Atrium Health Lake Norman, the Charlotte Observer first reported Monday, Sept. 21. The site sits at the southwest corner of Westmoreland Road and Statesville Road near Interstate 77. Wegmans spokeswoman Marcie Rivera confirmed the deal.

"We are currently evaluating the site as a potential location for a future grocery store, along with other possible uses," Rivera said. "At this stage, no final decisions have been made."

Atrium Health purchased the land in 2019 for $19.6 million, according to Mecklenburg County property records. The sale price for the Wegmans deal has not been disclosed.

The Cornelius agreement comes less than a month before Wegmans opens its 110,000-square-foot Ballantyne store at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 11550 North Community House Road. The store broke ground in September 2025 as part of the Ballantyne Reimagined project developed by Northwood Office.

Northwood Office president John Barton told The Charlotte Ledger on July 29 that "the frenzy around Wegmans just continues."

A community survey Wegmans launched in May drew more than 1,700 responses in three days, the Charlotte Observer reported Sept. 10. Shoppers overwhelmingly asked for western New York products rather than local Charlotte items.

Wegmans has said it plans to open three to five stores across the Charlotte region, which has a $10.8 billion grocery market with nearly 740 stores, according to the Charlotte Observer. When the chain announced its Charlotte entry in 2024, officials said they were considering a dozen locations including SouthPark, Huntersville and Cornelius.

The family-owned chain operates more than 110 stores in eight East Coast states. Its first North Carolina store opened Sept. 19, 2019, in Raleigh. Three more followed in Chapel Hill, West Cary and Wake Forest, with another planned in Holly Springs. The Ballantyne location will be the chain's fifth in the state, WCNC reported.

WCNC also reported that Wegmans plans to hire about 450 people for the Ballantyne store and 250 for construction.

No timeline for a potential Cornelius store has been announced. Atrium Health had not responded to requests for comment as of Monday, the Charlotte Observer reported.