After years of planning, Randalls broke ground Oct. 15 on its 59,000-square-foot Leander location at Crystal Falls Town Center, where the grocery store will serve as the anchor tenant when it opens in fall 2016.

Crystal Falls Town Center, located at the southwest corner of Crystal Falls Parkway and Lakeline Boulevard, will include other tenants, such as Bella Salon and Spa as well as Starbucks, which will also have a kiosk inside Randalls.

The plaza will also include a Randalls gas station and a freestanding restaurant, which has yet to be announced, next to Lakeline.

At an Oct. 15 ground breaking ceremony, Randalls President Sidney Hopper said the grocery store will offer fresh produce, cheeses and alcoholic drinks, such as craft beers and imported wines.

Stephen Schmidt, senior vice president of Cypress Equities, said the completed Crystal Falls Town Center plaza will have 94,000 square feet of space and will open in late October or early November 2016 at the same time as the new Randalls store.

Plans call for the store to include meat and floral departments, a pharmacy and a sushi bar.

Mayor Chris Fielder said Randalls will be city’s second grocery retailer and has been a long time coming to Leander.

In September 2012, Randalls signed an agreement that requires developer Cypress Equities to build the store within two years of the city completing a north extension to Lakeline. The road extension opened April 27, and links Lakeline from Crystal Falls to Old FM 2243.

The new Randalls location is expected to draw shoppers from two nearby neighborhoods; the Crystal Falls development, which has about 3,000 of 4,000 planned homes built; and the Mason Hills development, which has about 350 of 1,100 planned homes built.

Two smaller projects, which include single-family condominiums and townhomes, are expected to open west of Randalls starting in spring.

Randalls has already proven to be a good partner in community involvement, said Bridget Brandt, president of the Leander Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center.

The store used local businesses to supply items such as a tent for the ground breaking ceremony, she said.

“Often we have corporations that come into our communities, and they all [approach us] and tell us how they want to be part of the community,” Brandt said. “In this scenario, [Randalls is] actually already doing it.”