At least 19 new stores, restaurants are opening soon in Santa Maria

The new home for Costco in Santa Maria and the city’s first Lowe’s are in a virtual race to finish first in the sprawling Enos Ranch development amid a burst of new businesses opening in the area.

But the commercial growth is not limited to Enos Ranch. The Central Coast’s first Black Bear Diner was scheduled to open Monday in a nearby renovated former bank building on East Betteravia Road at Miller Street. The restaurant serves homestyle breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Also Monday, Santa Maria’s first Popeye’s Louisiana Chicken was set to open on East Betteravia Road next to Conserv Fuel.

Those projects have been minor compared to construction at the 113-acre Enos Ranch on East Betteravia Road adjacent to and west of Highway 101. The City Council ​received an update last week from Community Development director Chuen Ng.

Work is progressing quickly on a new Costco building to replace the existing store. Gas pumps, lacking at the other location, are ready for dispensers and final touches, he said.

While the exterior of the building was 70 percent complete, the interior was nearly halfway done. “And they’re looking to install shelves within a couple of weeks,” he added.

Meanwhile, work at Lowe’s also is occurring quickly, with parking lot paving finished, the exterior painted and signs in place.

A Costco representative said the relocation would occur overnight Sept. 20, with the new site open at 8 a.m. Sept. 21.

The store will have about 225 employees and intends to hire about 80 new workers.

The relocated Costco will feature new merchandise, with items remaining at the old location expected to be shipped to other stores, a process likely to take 90 days.

Lowe’s is aiming for a mid-October opening and plans to add 140 new jobs, the majority of which are full time, according to Steve Salazar, corporate communication director.

At the Bradley West section of Enos Ranch, the Buffalo Wild Wings building is 90 percent complete, Ng said.

Work also is underway on the building that will house the first Urbane Café and a new xfinitiy location.

Enos Ranch reportedly is 97 percent leased, with other tenants lined up, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Old Navy, Ulta, HomeGoods, Chick-Fil-A, Jack in the Box, The Habit Burger Grill and Cracker Barrel.

Meanwhile, the new home for the CoastHills Credit Union headquarters at the southeastern edge of Enos Ranch hit a snag with the discovery of an old oil sump, Ng said, adding that soil testing is underway. Whether the project faces any delays depends on the soil testing, he added.

More than a year ago, the Enos Ranch project by San Luis Obispo-based NKT Commercial made its way through approvals at the Planning Commission and City Council levels, with developers saying they expected construction to move quickly. The development also includes auto dealerships along the Highway 101 frontage.

A few miles away, the renovated Renfrow Airport Auto Center, at Highway 135 and Skyway Drive, has been readied to house several new businesses, including Burgerim, Santa Maria Brewing Co. Taproom, Starbucks and That’s Fetch! dog groomer and pet store.

This story was originally published August 7, 2017 at 1:20 PM with the headline "At least 19 new stores, restaurants are opening soon in Santa Maria."