Whole Foods has announced it will open its first Woodlands location at 8 a.m. March 18. The grocer, which specializes in natural and organic foods, will open at 1925 Hughes Landing Blvd., Ste. 100.

The 40,000-square-foot Woodlands location of Whole Foods will be the 10th in the Greater Houston area. The grocery chain was founded in Austin in 1980.

"Local residents have long expressed strong interest in having a Whole Foods Market in The Woodlands," said Paul Layne, executive vice president of master-planned communities for The Howard Hughes Corporation, which owns The Woodlands. "It will be an exceptional destination within Hughes Landing and across The Woodlands, adding to the many benefits of living, working and playing in this vibrant community."

The 66-acre Hughes Landing development, located along Lake Woodlands Drive west of Grogan's Mill Road, already features two office buildings with more on the way. The project will also offer several restaurants along what is being called Restaurant Row, including Truluck's, Del Frisco Grille, Local Pour and California Pizza Kitchen.

Alex Sutton, co-president of The Woodlands Development Company, said many of the restaurants would begin opening this spring.

One Lake's Edge, an apartment complex in Hughes Landing, is leasing for an April opening, and construction is underway on an Embassy Suites Hotel.