The Winters Design Review Committee met on Aug. 10 to review preliminary site plans and exterior design elements for a new supermarket in Winters.
Developer Mark Engstrom with Engstrom Properties is moving to develop a 16,000 square foot Grocery Outlet discount supermarket on what is now a vacant lot at the southeast corner of E. Main Street and E. Grant Avenue.
Engstrom said he expects to start construction in the second quarter of 2022 and open by year-end 2022. The store is anticipated to create 30 or more jobs.
Grocery Outlet is a chain of over 400 independently operated discount supermarkets headquartered in Emeryville offering discounted, overstocked and closeout products. With stores currently in Woodland, Vacaville, Davis and Dixon, Grocery Outlet has over 400 stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
Mayor Pro Tem and Design Review Committee member Bill Biasi said, “At this point it is very early in the process. If the developer decides to move forward the plans would go through full City reviews including Planning Commission. During the review process there will be opportunities for public comment on the proposal.”
Winters’ lone grocery store Lorenzo’s Market has been a part of the community for decades. Owner John Lorenzo said he was aware of the effort to bring a Grocery Outlet to Winters and added, “It’s out of my control.”
Lorenzo expressed concern that big stores will change the landscape of Winters, cause traffic congestion and that a Grocery Outlet would not only take business from Lorenzo’s, but also from Dollar General.
Dave Dowswell, contract planner, said the developer has applied for the tentative map to divide the parcel. Overall, the plan was found to be acceptable with the only significant change recommended by the Design Review Committee was to add awnings to three windows, he said.
The Design Review Committee is a city committee that was created to review plan designs and give those bringing projects to the city feedback on their proposals. The committee consists of two city council members, two planning commission members, the city manager and department heads from police, fire, city planning and public works.
Dowswell said the plan is not yet ready to go before the planning commission, but said the developer is “shooting for the Oct. 26 meeting” and noted there are CalTrans ingress and egress issues to be addressed.
