Walgreens to open retail expansion

Retail developers in Plumas Lake hope to open a chain drug store by the end of the year.

Paul Petrovich, of Petrovich Development Co., confirmed Walgreens has agreed to open a 15,000-square-foot store near the planned community.

Petrovich said the building will take six months to construct after ground is broken. If building permits are obtained, Petrovich said construction could begin in June.

The national drug store chain will reside on 50 acres of land purchased by Petrovich at the Plumas Lake Boulevard and Highway 70 interchange.

Tentative designs for the retail space include room for potential tenants like coffee shops, chain restaurants and major box stores.

These other retail stores, though, could be a ways out before they are built.

"It's a tough market," Petrovich said. "Everything has quieted down. I was carrying on conversations before the housing slump, but people don't get excited when the economy is like this."

Petrovich said a Chevron gas station that originally intended to open in October has since backed out. He said he is still working with other gas companies to build in the area.

"They miscalculated the number of homes in Plumas Lake," Petrovich said of Chevron. "I don't know how a national company can do that, but they thought there were 9,000 homes, rather than 9,000 people living there."

Regardless of the change, Supervisor Mary Jane Griego said the Walgreens is very exciting for the residents.

Petrovich said he also plans to build a 14,000-square-foot retail shopping center on the site, but he won't start construction until at least 50 percent of those shops are leased.

Right now, he said, he doesn't have a lot of interest.

"Everyone's having trouble leasing shopping space," he said.

But, Petrovich said, it often takes one chain store to start a trend.

When a Costco opened in Woodland earlier this year, the company did better than expected and now Petrovich said he has a Michael's craft store and a Best Buy scheduled to open nearby.

"When you get some activity it breeds other activity," Petrovich said. "The same thing will happen (in Plumas Lake). It just takes time and patience."

For now, Petrovich said, residents in Plumas Lake will have some relief when it comes to basic necessities.

"They need something out there to be able to buy milk or over the counter medicine," he said. "When the market turns around we'll be in a good position."

Contact Appeal-Democrat repor-ter Andrea Koskey at 749-4709 or akoskey@appealdemocrat.com