Exclusive: City of Sacramento might be getting its first Whole Foods. Here’s where
The city of Sacramento might be getting its first Whole Foods.
SKK Development has requested a city loan in order to open the store at the corner of 16th and J streets, according to an Oct. 28 letter the Downtown Sacramento Partnership sent the mayor and council, obtained by The Sacramento Bee.
“On behalf of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, I am writing to strongly urge the city to support the City Tax Credit loan being requested by SKK Development to complete the mixed use residential and retail development featuring Whole Foods as the anchor retail tenant,” the letter states.
The Whole Foods would open at 1617 J St., at the former Lucca restaurant space on the border between downtown and midtown, with 198 units of housing above it, the letter reads.
Mayor Darrell Steinberg mentioned an “iconic” store coming to the area during his State of Downtown speech Tuesday, although he did not name the brand.
“The downtown of our future will be a neighborhood with a healthy mix of housing and jobs,” Steinberg said. “Imagine an iconic grocery store on the corner of 16th and J. It’s happening.”
Steinberg’s spokesman Andrew Kehoe did not provide the name of the store after the speech. But the Whole Foods store mentioned in the Downtown Sacramento Partnership letter references the same intersection.
City spokesman Tim Swanson said, “The city is in active discussions with the developer of this proposed project and will share more information as soon as it becomes available. A project such as this one likely would require Council approval.”
According to the letter, the store would create “100 high paying service-oriented jobs.” The letter does not provide the details of the city loan.
SKK Development President and CEO Sotiris Kolokotronis and Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
In August, Valenzuela asked city staff to plan a council discussion “examining the potential benefits and opportunities of a sales tax rebate for the delivery of targeted grocery stores (for example) at 16th and J.”
That discussion has not yet happened, but Steinberg’s mention in his speech got many in the city talking.
“These projects are game changers as it comes to perception,” said Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. “We don’t have specifics yet when it comes to financing, but we think it would be a great project.”
In 2021, SKK filed an application with the city to build a seven-story apartment building with 200 market-rate units at the location, with space for unnamed retail and a parking garage. At the time, officials said the units would open for occupancy in 2024.
It’s not the first time a Whole Foods is planned for midtown. In 2015, the council voted to approve a Whole Foods at 21st and L streets, with 97 apartments. The project, led by Pappas Investments, fell through the following year.
The popular chain has recently filed an application to open in Elk Grove.
Currently, the closest Whole Foods to the city of Sacramento is located in Arden Arcade, at Arden Way and Eastern Avenue.
This story was originally published February 21, 2023 at 2:28 PM.
