Evanston officials gathered Feb. 17 to announce a lease between Trader Joe’s and the owner of a vacant Blockbuster video store, saying the new store will create a “grocery shopper’s destination.”

If the new store opens at 1211 Chicago Ave. in the first quarter of 2013 as anticipated, it will be diagonally across the street from a Jewel and one block from a Whole Foods Market.

Alderman Melissa Wynne, whose 3rd Ward includes the proposed store, said the stretch along Chicago Avenue “is really now going to be a grocery shopper’s destination. You won’t really need to go any further for anything that you want to buy.”

An Evanston Trader Joe’s had been long anticipated, both before and after the quirky grocery store chain abandoned consideration in 2008 of opening a store in the ground floor of a multi-use development at 1890 Maple Ave.

Nancy Radzevich, Evanston’s economic development manager, said Trader Joe’s often locates near other grocers.

“They complement each other,” Radzevich said.

She said the city worked with property owner Terraco, a Wilmette-based development company, and Trader Joe’s representatives for more than a year to ink the deal.

“Economic development has changed a lot since the economy tanked. It takes a lot of meetings. It takes a lot of patience,” Radzevich said.

The grocery retailer plans to raze the existing building and a build a new 13,000-square-foot store along the property’s southern edge, on the current parking lot, said Scott Gendell, Terraco president. A new parking lot would then be to the north of the grocery store, he said.

Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl said the city’s residents “have always known that Evanston is exactly the place where Trader Joe’s wanted to be. We just needed to find a place for them to open a store.”

Calling Trader Joe’s a “highly desired retailer,” Tisdahl said the announcement is symbolic.

“After a few years of economic uncertainty, the decision by Trader Joe’s to locate on Chicago Avenue is an indication our local economy is showing signs of recovery,” she said. “This should be a clear message to any businesses that would like to come to Evanston: Bring jobs, create revenue and transform our commercial corridors for the better. We welcome you.”

In a release, Trader Joe’s said the Evanston site will be the chain’s 14th Illinois location. Like its other store, the Evanston Trader Joe’s is scheduled to offer beer and wine and feature “a festive décor that mixes traditional Trader Joe’s elements such as cedar covered walls and Hawaiian motifs, combined with a local flair that includes art celebrating the neighborhood,” according to a statement from the company.