Raley’s plans to build 35,000-square-foot supermarket in Truckee

West Sacramento-based Raley’s is continuing its growth spurt.

The grocer, which had not announced a new store in six years at this time last year, on Friday announced its fifth new project in the past 10 months.

Raley’s said it will build a new 35,000-square-foot supermarket at the corner of Highway 267 and Soaring Way, adjacent to the Truckee Tahoe Airport. Raley’s does not currently have a store in Truckee.

In partnership with JMA Ventures LLC – which has offices in Sacramento, San Francisco and Tahoe City – Raley’s said it also plans to develop a new retail center at the site.

Design plans include an alpine appearance, with natural wood elements and lodge-style architecture.

“As we move forward on our journey of health and wellness, Truckee is an important location to enhance our vision,” Michael Teel, Raley’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “We are looking forward to serving the Truckee community with an exceptional shopping and food experience all four seasons of the year.”

In addition to the Raley’s store, officials said the first phase of the retail center will include an additional 15,000 square feet of space. The new retail site will create an estimated 140 jobs, officials said. Raley’s spokeswoman Chelsea Minor said about 50 to 75 people will be employed at the Raley’s supermarket.

She said a tenant for the additional retail space will be named at a later date. She also noted that there is room to grow on the now-vacant parcel of land.

Raley’s said the project is subject to approval by Truckee officials. If approved, planners hope to begin construction in late 2017, with a targeted completion window of mid-2018.

Truckee officials confirmed knowledge of the retail center but did not offer comment on Friday.

In August 2015, after years of inactivity and facing strong post-recession competition from Wal-Mart and other supermarket operators in its Northern California/Nevada wheelhouse, Raley’s said it would build a new Raley’s Supermarket at Howe Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard in Sacramento, longtime site of the former Hubacher Cadillac auto dealership. The chain plans a “moderate-sized,” 36,000-square-foot store at the Arden-area site, with a target opening date in the second quarter of 2017.

In September, the grocery chain announced that it submitted plans to build a new store on the former Capital Nursery site at 4850 Freeport Blvd. in Sacramento. That would replace a 57-year-old Raley’s that has operated just south of the new site. That 55,000-square-foot store is being designed to fit in with the nearby Land Park neighborhood. The project is under review by the planning commission, and some residents have raised concerns about traffic, noise and pedestrian access under the current design.

In November, Raley’s said it will open a new 40,000-square-foot grocery store as the anchor tenant of a subdivision being developed at Sunrise Boulevard and Douglas Road in Rancho Cordova. That opening is targeted for May 2017. And just last month, Raley’s announced plans for a new 35,000-square-foot store at Jackson Highway and Murieta Parkway in Rancho Murieta. Construction is set to begin later this year, with completion expected in the fall of 2017.

The local company’s expansion efforts were accompanied by closures of four of its “underperforming” stores in 2015. Those included a Raley’s in Winnemucca, Nev.; the Raley’s at 4551 Mack Road in south Sacramento; a Nob Hill Foods in San Jose; and a Raley’s in Newark.

Founded in 1935, Raley’s operates more than 120 stores in Northern California and Nevada under four banners: Raley’s Supermarkets, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods and Food Source.

This story was originally published June 10, 2016 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Raley’s plans to build 35,000-square-foot supermarket in Truckee."