In my Boom column of June 2, I mentioned how along with about a dozen new high rises First Hill is (finally) getting an urban market, on the ground floor of the new 15-story building at 8th and Madison. At the time, developer Opus Northwest was still hammering out a lease with an independent grocer.

That lease was recently signed. M Street Grocery will be built by Matt Randish, a second generation grocer from Bainbridge Island. “It will be a neighborhood store — small in size, but big in character, like a mini-Metro Market” says Randish. “We’ll go for upper end organic foods, produce, service deli. The floor plan has space for an espresso bar and a bakery.”

Randish only has about 14,000 square feet to work with, so he is designing the store to be big where it counts most. He hired market researchers to make that determination. They told him that the First Hill grocery shopper’s priority list looks like this (in descending order of essential-ness):

1) Fresh seafood
2) Fresh produce
3) Size and selection in a deli
4) A big beer and wine section

Plus, he’s got Location. And while most M Street Grocery customers will be walkers, Randish says he’ll offer validated parking in an adjacent garage.

Construction on the market’s interior will begin late this year and Randish hopes for a grand opening in Spring 2007. He and his family are moving to First Hill to be close to the store.