The rumors of a large, chain grocery store coming to Snoqualmie have been circulating for several months. It now appears that rumor is public knowledge.
According to City of Snoqualmie Community Development Director, Mark Hofman, development applications were recently submitted for a Snoqualmie Ridge Grocery Store-Anchored Retail Center on Business Park lots #11 and #12-1 at the corner Douglas Street and Snoqualmie Parkway (across from the Snoqualmie Police Station), estimated to begin construction in 2016.
Review Process to Begin for Potential Development
The submitted applications trigger a City review process regarding the retail development proposed for 7.4 acres of vacant land currently zoned for Mixed Use. That mixed used use zoning means the city has flexibility to make changes regarding what’s allowed to be built.
That doesn’t mean the project a slam dunk. Although the development would not require land rezoning, Hofman stated the applications call for amendments to the Binding Site Improvement Plan 97-01, the Mixed Use Plan for Snoqualmie Ridge and the Snoqualmie Ridge Development Standards.
The amendments, in part, would expand the allowable uses for these business park land parcels to include more retail. They would be discussed during the City’s review process and would require City Council approval before the project could move forward.
Hofman stated there will also be public hearings [at some point] so the community can weigh in on the development and its possible impacts.
Components of Potential Retail Development
According to the project’s Conceptual Site Plan, the retail center would be anchored by a 43,400 sq. ft. grocery store. Although rumors have hinted at QFC, Hofman stated it is too early to confirm that.
Also proposed for the project is new retail with drive-thru, new retail without drive thru, fast food with drive-thru and a fuel sales element associated with the grocery store.
Retail Leakage
If you live in Snoqualmie, with one [small] full-service grocery store, there’s a high probability that you leave the city to shop.
Previous City of Snoqualmie retail and economic studies showed 73% of retail purchases made by residents are leaked to stores and businesses in surrounding communities – like Issaquah and North Bend.
During the recession, Snoqualmie’s population growth stalled, but according to Hofman, as Snoqualmie Ridge is estimated to be built out in 2017, new population demographics can now support additional retail within the community.
Potential Impact on Existing Businesses
Another grocery store and another gas station. Wondering what does that mean for the Snoqualmie Ridge IGA and Gateway Gas and Deli?
The discussion of more retail on these business park land parcels is not a new topic for the Snoqualmie City Council. Approximately decade ago another developer was interested in building a large grocery at the location, but the City Council ended up tabling the topic over worries there weren’t enough homes to support two stores in Snoqualmie.
Hofman said during future public hearings the city will be better able to discuss what a new retail development means for existing businesses.
The city review process for the submitted development applications may last until Spring 2016.
Comments
The city of Snoqualmie has TWO grocery stores.
I edited and added “full-service” to the description…. not sure the Snoqualmie Market can be considered a full-service grocery store any longer, but recognize others might disagree.
Investigative journalism at its best! Thanks Dana!
Most residents forget there’s an area of snoqualmie called downtown.
We need it. The gas station is insanely crowded and chaotic. And half the time I go there, the pumps are out of service. Maybe some real competition will kick them in gear and they can operated more functionally.
Grocery Store? If it is a natural foods store, it will win big points. There is nothing within a 20 minute drive. PCC is popping up all over the place. Just my opinion, but I would rather see one here in Snoqualmie than down in North Bend.
I would LOVE to see PCC here!
Just my opinion, but I would rather see one in north bend than on the ridge (drops the mic).
I moved here 3 years ago from eagleton, Indiana and we had 3 types of wholefoods: wholefoods, wholefoods-express, and wholefoods-light (similar to express, but product servings with 100 or less calories). We always had lines out the door, but for some reason our friends from nearby Pawnee never shopped there (odd). The ridge needs at least ONE of these, or maybe this PCC place, sounds yummy!
I Agree! Trader Joe’s would be a good option too.
I vote for a Trader Joe’s.
fantastic news, it will be great to see competition for IGA, I think they have become complacent with their monopoly on the ridge and this will drive them to actually compete for business or lose out. We surely don’t shop there for the week only if we need to run and grab something.
I treat IGA as a corner 711. We only go there if we need something like Tylenol. It’s so disgusting
Welcome to any town USA.
Great we need a little competition out here.
Did someone say fast food with drive-through?! Go McDonalds!
another gas station would be great!! the Shell station on Douglas gouges all the time!!!!
a new supermarket with more options would be great!!! like the idea of PCC! how nice would a Fred Meyer be where we could get retail, groceries, pharmacy, and gas all at once! maybe even another Starbucks!!! What this town lacks is COMPETITION!!!!!!!! we need to move forward!!!!!
SO EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!
Agree re the Shell station. The one at exit 34 was a full 50 cents a gallon less than Snoq Ridge this past weekend. I do my best to never give the Ridge Shell any business. IGA on the other hand has an ok selection and good service, even if high priced. Anyone that doesn’t like this grocery store should go visit other small towns and see what they have.
I’d be happy having a grocery store that doesn’t fit the ridge trendy genre. There’s an Oregon chain that happens to have the best prices & lot’s of bulk foods. Winco! I’m sure I stand alone on this one. I suppose folks around here want their groceries delivered by drone or UPS truck.
#biLL
I would love a Winco.
We need a target.
We do need some competition. I can go to truck town right now and pay 2.86 for regular. 3.40 on the ridge is a little excessive.
Bring in a big shopping mall like Bellevue Square with a Gymboree and Nordstrom. Also a QFC, trader joes, target, movie theatre and CHICK FIL A. The more chains the better. Make it into a normal city, I’m so tired of driving to Bellevue and issaquah for everything. It’s cute how all the stores aren’t chains in Snoqualmie but enough already. More people are moving here from Dallas and Houston for jobs with the big tech companies!
Wow, I thought Rachel was joking. If you moved from Dallas you want to bring Dallas TEXASSS with you? NOT. Do you have a sense of history where you live now? Have you learned about the community? 20 years ago where you live was woods, with elk, deer, and BEARS. Why the hell don’t you move to Issaquah or Bellevue? It sounds like you would be happier there. You want to be walled in house to house and walk to your stores then live in a real city. The bubble of some of you entitled newcomers is sad. I moved out from Seattle to get AWAY from big stores, ticky tacky houses next to eachother and buy a house with land to preserve nature. Commuting to Microsoft, getting my crap there and coming home and living with nature is the point. You’re an eyesore to many North Benders. I hope you get your store and never leave your cardboard house. Again, why don’t you move to Issaquah or Bellevue? You can’t have all your precious brand stores and nature as well without bulldozing more trees and even more growth. It’s all about you Rachel. Drill baby drill, have another kid.
There are too many trees and not enough fast food joints. I say burn baby burn and put up a Burger King!
A REI would be nice.
If you go also get a Tiffs Treats (amazing cookie delivery Service) Sam’s club and/or Costco, Babies R us that would be amazing. These are all necessary things we need and were always in walking distance from downtown Dallas where we just moved from! It would be very helpful and the more retail we have, the more taxes go to Snoqualmie. I’m tired of it all going to norhbend and issaquah. This city, Snoqualmie is absolutely beautiful. It’s like a dream come true with the waterfalls and picnics and its so cute and reminds me of the TV show Wonder Years. I’ve never seen anything so adorable in my life. I want to keep all the beautiful nature but if more and more families are moving here because they are all finding out about Snoqualmie (Washington’s best kept secret) its just helpful for young stay at home moms to have quick access to these or at least some nearby. I’m surprised we have Starbucks and chase bank so that’s pretty cool.
I agree. Would love to keep the beautiful nature of snoqualmie, just breaks my heart to see more and more development. Not sure where a chase or Starbucks is in town…good thing the city doesn’t level the place to put up stuff like that.
Retail Leakage sounds like something we should be able to cure!
Wait…we NEED a Costco or Sam’s Club? Seriously? Do you understand how big we aren’t? We will get a SMALL Safeway or QFC, it will have some small retail, probably under 20k SqFt, and a couple of pads for drive through fast food and a bank. Don’t expect much more for this extremely small market we are in.
Yes! Snoqualmie finally has become big enough so that we can get a larger grocery store, so that more people can move here…. Hopefully one day we finally will get the WalMart Supercenter that we all want so much!
Hoping that is sarcastic? haha
I think the thing to keep in mind here, is that we are NOT a “city” we are a suburb… an area meant to SURROUND an urban area, to be conveniently close to an urban/retail area, yet have the space to LIVE.
Sorry, but we ARE a city! Just like Issaquah; just like Kirkland; just like North Bend. Problem is that Snoqualmie is not keeping up with demographic trends and growth. The long-range planning needs to begin now……not after the population reaches 20,000+. And, if residents need to spend all their time shopping out of the area because there is no relevant retail, many chains are missing out on an opportunity that, hopefully in the near future, someone will take advantage of. I have lived in city-suburbs with populations of 6,000 that had more chains than here!!!!!!!!!!!
I am excited for the possibility of a second (larger) grocery store, a second gas station, and other retail – maybe even drive-thru (please say Chic-fil-A). I do wonder if the competition would be too much for IGA (which while pricey and limited on selection is clean, convenient, and the employees are always kind and friendly). We have only lived here a bit over a year. We love it. We don’t love the long drives into Issaquah for Target, Sports Clips, Safeway, and PCC but we have grown used to them. Like I said I would welcome a larger grocery store like QFC or maybe PCC – although if it were a PCC, Trader Joes, or Whole Foods type place I’d still be driving into Issaquah for many things such as cleaning products, paper products, many boxed or canned items and person hygiene products like toothpaste, shampoo, and hand soap type stuff because there is no way Im paying PCC prices for those types of things. I certainly don’t believe there is room or population for things like a Costco or Fred Meyer and honestly the 20 min drive to those businesses as infrequently as they are needed isn’t unreasonable. (and let me just say for the love of all things – please no walmart) I wouldn’t want the traffic or pollution here that those super-sized retailers bring. I am all for another gas station. The Shell is overpriced and the new owners are not great people – I’ve seen the female yelling at the employees in front of customers.
Again – Chick-Fil-A would be great – bring on the sweet-tea and waffle fries. Honestly that is the only fast food with a drive through I’d like to see – Issaquah can keep all it’s burger joints. Wouldn’t mind a Panera Bread, MOD pizza or Jimmy Johns – here just take my money. I would like some of my money to stay in Snoqualmie, reduce my carbon footprint by driving less, and celebrate the ‘moderate’ growth of this amazing city (recently listed in the top 10 best places to live via Money magazine).
I hope Snoqualmie doesn’t become as crazy as Issaquah (which seems silly to say since Issaquah isn’t a mega-metropolitan area). I do love the small town feel, the open space, the lack of street lights thus allowing for an amazing view of the stars, and the minimal traffic.
Rumor has it the IGA will become a hardware store.
Hi Jason- I know that rumor is going around a lot. The IGA isn’t going anywhere. We will continue to be a grocery store, even with competition. We will continue to be what the community needs us to be.
The community apparently needs you to sell hardware supplies.
Please keep all the houses that look the same, grocery stores and ChikFillet moms up on the ridge. We will be perfectly happy here in downtown Snoq
Amen to that. I propose a wall between them and us Shasta.
I think it is sad that another store & a drive thru are coming. I like how “small town” the Ridge is. The IGA is great in a pinch, their meat dept is excellent & sometimes their prices are better than any chain. The employees are always friendly & most of their prices are the same as other groceries (yes, some of their items are more).
We’ve lived up here for 5 yrs and I’ve never had a problem getting gas at the gas station. Yes, it’s a little more, but it’s about convenience people! What we really need is a good burger place. And a fine dining place. (Like the Woodman). And if the TDM (Taco Del Mar) could make better food, that would be a plus.
Chik-a-Filet………..gag!!!! No “politics”, please!
Does anyone know who the developer is for this project?
I would imagine that a QFC or Safeway would go in (probably too small for a Fred Meyer or Target), along with a coffee shop/drive-thru and fast-food/drive-thru for Snoqualmie residents and the many tourists that travel along the Parkway each year. If Trader Joes were to happen, it would be most likely be in the existing IGA building.