McCANDLESS, Pa. -- Whole Foods Market is set to build a second store in the Pittsburgh region, this time in the North Hills.

The food retailer will open the store at the Wexford Plaza shopping center along Route 19. If all goes as planned, the doors will open in late 2011, officials said.

In 2002, Whole Foods opened its first Pittsburgh-area store in East Liberty.

While one Pittsburgh suburb celebrates a new grocery store, the Hill District is losing out on one. Kuhn's has dropped its plans to build a store there.

"With Kuhn's pulling out that's a hard thing. We are suffering out here,” said resident Yvonne Brown. “We don't have a supermarket or a drug store."

According to residents, some area locals have to go to South Side to buy groceries.

A company official said the plans were dropped because of a health issue involving a company leader.

Negotiations for a grocery store in the neighborhood have been going on for years. Local leaders are talking with other interested grocers, but leaving the door open for Kuhn's.

“We're very optimistic all the key components are in place that would make this a very attractive deal to other full service providers," said Evan Frazier of the Hill House Association.

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