Super 1 plans Sandpoint store
SANDPOINT — The city is one step closer to getting another supermarket after representatives of Super 1 Foods announced the company’s intention to build a store at the former Louisiana Pacific Mill site.
The Hayden-based company filed a site plan with the city early this week asking for permission to build a 52,960 square-foot supermarket with 265 parking spaces on the northeast corner of Larch Street and Boyer Avenue.
The 5.2-acre space, located within a larger 26-acre property, is currently owned by Renova Partners LLC. Renova completed a two-year environmental remediation process in 2007 and the site was pronounced environmentally sound by the Idaho Department of Environmentally Quality, according to DEQ documents.
Mike Winger of URM Stores, Inc., which represents Super 1 Foods and its owner, Ron McIntire, said the company has been looking for property in the Sandpoint area for years and is hopeful the site plan will meet city requirements.
“We’re very much in the early stages, trying to figure out if this is a doable project,” Winger said. “We very much want it to be. It’s a trade area the McIntires have thought they could be very successful in. I think they’re already a known entity, even though they don’t have a store there.”
While the supermarket is sure to a welcome addition to many residents, some still have concerns with the proposal.
During the city’s nearly two-year long comprehensive planning process, Councilwoman Carrie Logan expressed a desire for the property to be used for high-density, multi-use purposes.
“I’m just disappointed that that was a project that decided to go in there. My favorite use for that area was some kind of multi-use, but there was no mechanism in place for the city to help guide that,” Logan said.
Councilman John Reuter shares Logan’s desire for a mixed-use component on the site and said he hopes the final product is not a typical “box store.”
“A traditional big box store with a large, expansive parking lot just isn’t good for the community around it and ultimately doesn’t actually help our tax base. It actually lowers our tax base,” Reuter said.
Mayor Gretchen Hellar said she looks forward to working with Super 1 officials on ways to make the supermarket compatible with what residents want in their community. While she admits she and the council have little say in what happens at the site, Hellar said the city has various incentives — especially in the field of off-site traffic obligations — that it can offer as bargaining chips.
“They have the complete freedom to do whatever they want, but we can offer carrots to encourage them to do things that are the right thing to do, and I really think that’s the function of government,” Hellar said.
Because the property is already zoned for commercial use, Super 1 will not have to submit to a public hearing process if the site plan is approved. Reuter said he respects the company’s rights to build what they want on the property, but hopes Super 1 officials will work with the city to find a solution that everyone can agree on.
“My hope is that Super 1 will choose to be a real community player here and sit down at the table with us and work out how to create a plan that works well with our comp plan and fits in with the neighborhood,” Reuter said. “This isn’t about trying to infringe on somebody’s private property rights, the goal is actually have a conversation and have a dialog where we can work toward something that helps the whole community.”