New Seasons to build store on abandoned block
New Seasons Market has plans to build a new store on the abandoned block where the Wonder Bread bakery once stood at North Williams Avenue between Fremont and Cook Streets (photo by Mindy Cooper/The Portland Observer).
New Seasons Market announced last week plans to convert a long-vacant lot into their 13th store, which will be located in Portland’s Eliot neighborhood in 2013.
The 30,000 square-foot grocery store will occupy the north portion of the now-vacant site, formerly home to Wonder Bread bakery.
The nearly three-acre site is surrounded by North Freemont Street, Vancouver Avenue, Cook Street and Williams Avenue, all within the city’s Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area.
“New Seasons’ proposed new store is great news,” said Mayor Sam Adams.
“It will bring fresh local food and groceries to neighborhoods that last year we identified in the Portland plan as a food desert.”
According to the company, the store will bring more than 150 new jobs with health care to the community, as well as a wide selection of healthy and locally grown groceries, homemade meals, an in-house butcher and access to other wellness and home products.
The new store plans to be 27,960 square feet with 60 surface parking spaces.
“We’ve found the perfect tenant and partner in New Seasons Market,” said Roger Collins of Ivy Street Partners. “Our goal is to develop this site with features, services and resources that enhance the livability of the neighborhood and are accessible to everyone.”
Collins said they are also developing a 155-unit mixed-use project at North Interstate and Skidmore, which is expected to break ground this spring.
Although concerns linger over an increase in traffic throughout the area, there are currently minimal places to access fresh healthy food in the neighborhood, which has had little development in the past few years.
Leaders of both Ivy Street Partners and New Seasons say they will work closely with the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, residents, community leaders and the city to finalize the store design and site plans.
According to Lisa Sedlar, President and CEO of New Seasons Market, the local company is excited to convert the bakery site to one of its newest grocery locations.
Sedlar said the location, within walking and biking distance from many homes, schools, and offices, is expected to become a lively spot that will add to the neighborhood’s vitality.
“We strive to build community inside and outside our stores by employing local residents, providing goods and services to our neighbors, and supporting local and regional producers and suppliers,” she said.
This is such good news! I live in the neighborhood, in fact 4 blocks away from the old Wonder Bread site. One thing concerns me however; there is a tall cedar still standing in the Wonderbread employees former parking lot. It has wooden benches attached to it where the employees could sit on breaks or for lunchtime. I hope New Seasons sees fit to save this great tree for their employees, and me, to continue its history of comfort and beauty!