According to National Development, Whole Foods Market will anchor the retail portion of its planned Ink Block South End project at the former Boston Herald site on Harrison Ave. At 50,000 s/f, the store will be the chain's largest and most complete in Boston. Ink Block South End will feature retail and restaurant space on the ground floor with 471 luxury apartments. The Whole Foods will feature outdoor sidewalk café seating on Harrison Ave., a planned wine store, gelato bar, many prepared food options in addition to a complete selection of natural and organic foods. When completed in 2014, the store will be the first full-size grocery store in the South End. "This is a huge milestone for the neighborhood, and I am proud to welcome Whole Foods to the South End. The city of Boston has been actively working to attract a quality grocery store to this area so that we can continue to offer more and more options for fresh, healthy, and delicious food in all of our neighborhoods," said Mayor Thomas Menino. "We envision Ink Block as the heart of the trend-setting South End neighborhood with hot retailers and cool new apartment concepts," said Ted Tye, managing partner of National Development. "Whole Foods' flagship store will help set the tone for the vibrant, 18 hour neighborhood that we are creating at Ink Block." National Development recently received Boston Redevelopment Authority approval for four buildings totally over 500,000 s/f. In addition to Whole Foods, National Development plans a mix of restaurants and urban retailers. Construction of Ink Block is scheduled to begin in early 2013. Area improvements include the planned reconstruction of Harrison Ave. with landscaping, wide sidewalks and enhanced pedestrian experience. In addition to the Ink Block South End project, an adjacent site on Traveler Street owned by Normandy Real Estate Partners has been approved for a hotel project that is also expected to start construction in 2013. According to Tye, "Whole Foods has made a strong commitment to the City and the South End. The new store will provide the quality, selection and commitment to locally grown foods that makes sense for Ink Block."