Upscale grocery store and more coming to this new North County marketplace
Valley Fresh Market, an upscale, Solvang-based grocery store, is coming to Atascadero to anchor a new marketplace on the north end of town.
“It’s a full-line, high-end market,” said Madonna Enterprises President Clint Pearce, the developer of the Del Rio Marketplace project. “It’s going to be a great destination for folks from all over North County.”
Located at the intersection of El Camino Real and Del Rio Road, the grocery store is the anchor tenant at the 12-acre, mixed-use development, Pearce said.
The property will also include retail, office, residential and light industrial uses, he said.
Now that Valley Fresh Market is secured, the developers are starting the process of marketing the other spaces to potential businesses, both local and national.
“We feel like Atascadero and really North County needs more space for businesses to call home,” Pearce said.
Any other tenants secured for properties throughout the parcel should open around the same time as the grocery store, he said.
Construction is set to start on the marketplace in the next eight months, and the developers hope Valley Fresh Market will be open for business by winter 2023, Pearce said.
But before they can break ground, the developers need to work through some bureaucratic processes with the city of Atascadero, including meeting with the City Planning Department, the Development Review Commission and the City Council.
“That’s what we know and expect as of right now,” Pearce said. “So that takes a while. It takes a while to get the plans drawn.”
The city’s vision for a mixed-use marketplace at Del Rio
The city of Atascadero is enthusiastic about the economic potential that comes with a mixed-use retail center off Del Rio Road.
“(The city) has long wanted to see this particular parcel developed so it could supply unmet commercial need at the north end of town,” said Community Development Director Phil Dunsmore.
The parcel at the El Camino Real and Del Rio Road intersection wasn’t always going to be a retail center. Initially, the area was designated as a commercial business park where locals could commute to their head-of-household jobs, Dunsmore said.
In its new incarnation, it’s designed to take a more modern, mixed-use approach, which still satisfies community needs and adds economic vibrancy to the Del Rio Road area.
“It’s a neat design because not only does it have a market in it but also some residential built above some commercial places,” Dunsmore said. “It’s going to be a combination of retail, residential and business park. It’s kind of a contemporary way to see land use.”
The parcel includes about two light industrial properties — spaces with roll-up doors, from 5,000 to 7,000 square feet — which are in high demand, Dunsmore said.
The spaces could work for businesses like a coffee roaster, brewery or winery or someone who creates artisan products that are sold online, he said.
Although the vision for a commercial business park with offices supporting higher income corporate jobs isn’t necessarily satisfied with a mixed-use marketplace anchored by a grocery store, businesses tend to want to be located near restaurants and markets, Dunsmore said.
“The major goal is when you have more of these things in town, more businesses tend to locate within that atmosphere,” he said.
Valley Fresh Market just might be what encourages a small business or local start-up to place their office nearby, he said.
What’s in store at Valley Fresh Market
Valley Fresh Market will feature a mix of organic, natural and conventional products at a variety of price points.
“We seek a smaller margin and we want to serve the entire community — from the most affluent to the less fortunate,” Valley Fresh Market owner Greg King said.
Beyond groceries, the store will have a robust prepared foods section that includes a sushi bar, coffee bar and full-service deli with foods prepared in-house from scratch, King said.
“When you buy a potato salad from Valley Fresh Market, it doesn’t come out of a box,” King said. “It comes in as raw potatoes ... and we make it from scratch,” he said.
The thing that sets Valley Fresh Market apart from other grocery stores is its exemplary customer service, King said.
“I have a knack for finding really good people,” he said.
King said he estimates the grocery store will create about 100 jobs for local residents, but he has not yet started hiring.
This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 10:00 AM.
