Building Better for the Community: Stuttgart Breaks Ground on New Commissary

STUTTGART, Germany – Construction has officially begun on a modern and spacious new commissary that will serve the entire U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart community.

Leaders from the Defense Commissary Agency, the garrison, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the German construction authority and other project partners officially kicked the project off with a groundbreaking ceremony on Panzer Kaserne this afternoon.

“It is always exciting when we can announce, let alone break ground, for a new commissary,” said Tracie Russ, DeCA Europe Area Director. “This new state-of-the-art commissary will offer our valued patrons better product selection and convenience due to its larger sales floor size and proximity to the exchange and lodging.”

The new commissary will boast more than 37,000 square feet of sales area with the total building comprising almost 74,000 square feet. In addition to the new store, there will be ample parking for patrons with a new elevated parking garage, conveniently located right in front of the store.

The new commissary, which is scheduled to open in the spring of 2028, will replace the four older existing stores located at Patch Barracks, Panzer Kaserne, Kelley Barracks and Robinson Barracks. This new store will serve over 27,000 service members and their families.

The commissary portion of the project will deliver a full, new store complete with a large sales area, “Grab & Go” area and electronic checkout registers along with all the new necessary logistics and backroom facilities including a receiving area, loading dock, meat and produce preparation areas, cold and freeze storage and other supporting areas.

The project includes construction of both the new commissary and an elevated parking structure that will add more than 300 parking spaces to the lot between the new commissary and the existing Panzer Hotel Army Lodge. This is all right by the existing Panzer Mall where the Exchange is located, creating a convenient commercial hub for the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart community.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District Deputy District Engineer for Programs and Project Management Justin Wetherwax noted the Panzer Commissary is part of a larger nearly $200 million design and construction program the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District is delivering in Stuttgart in closer partnership with the garrison, the Germany construction authority and other partners.

“With today’s groundbreaking, we continue building on Europe District’s long relationship with the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart team and further underscore our commitment to supporting their important missions by delivering key community infrastructure,” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District Deputy District Engineer for Programs and Project Management Justin Wetherwax.