Grocery Outlet in Cloverdale? Residents have mixed reactions

Cloverdale soon could get a second supermarket, news that’s getting a mixed reaction even before a shovel is turned.

City officials and a number of residents welcome the proposed Grocery Outlet as an alternative to shopping at Ray’s Food Place, the only supermarket in town.

But some folks are already grousing that “Cloverdale deserves better” than Grocery Outlet, a chain known for its deep discounts and for offering some items past their “best if used by” dates.

“We’ve been looking for a long time for another grocery. This is a good option,” Mayor Mary Ann Brigham said of the Grocery Outlet proposed off Treadway Drive and South Cloverdale Boulevard, on an undeveloped parcel to the west of the Chevron gas station.

At the same time, she acknowledged that there is some disappointment being expressed about it on neighborhood social media sites.

“I’m looking at what people are saying in chat rooms. Everyone has opinions. I would say 80 percent are in favor of (Grocery Outlet), very happy about it, and 20 percent are saying, ‘We should have Trader Joe’s, or a more upscale market.’ ”

She said she heard some of the same complaints surrounding the ongoing construction of a new Dollar General retail store - that the town deserved “better.”

“What does that mean? Better for whom? Better in what way?” she said.

While some more affluent residents may not be thrilled with Grocery Outlet, the mayor said Cloverdale is largely a “blue-collar town.”

She said lower-income families with a lot of mouths to feed are “looking for bargain ways to stretch that dollar.”

The company, which has more than 230 independently operated stores in California and five other states, bills itself as “the nation’s largest extreme value grocery retailer” with brand name, quality products at up to 60 percent off conventional retail prices.

The company surpassed more than $1 billion in sales in 2011, according to its website.

Grocery Outlet officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

But on its website, the company said its products often come from outside normal retail channels and might be less expensive due to packaging changes, product overruns and surplus inventories.

The company also acknowledges that some of its products are kept on the shelves or refrigerated section after the “sell by” or “use before” date, which is simply a guideline to purchase or use the product at its best quality, not an expiration date after which it is no longer safe to consume.

Cloverdale City Councilman Gus Wolter said the community of 8,600 population probably doesn’t have the demographics to support a Safeway, Oliver’s or other markets that some might prefer.

Currently, city officials say a number of Cloverdale residents looking for alternatives go to shop in Healdsburg, 15 miles to the south - at Safeway or Big John’s Market.

“Safeway will never come to Cloverdale, because Cloverdale comes to Safeway,” Wolter said.

He said it’s not really up to the city to dictate what supermarkets choose to locate in Cloverdale if they meet zoning and land-use plans.

“I have to tell you, it’s going to be a great asset to the community, in spite of some of the negative responses,” he said. “Some of our community will welcome Grocery Outlet with open arms.”

City officials say the application for design review of the proposed 15,800-square-foot store was made last week and is likely to go before the Planning Commission in March.

The applicant is Best Development of Sacramento, which has built other stores for Grocery Outlet.

Because the 1.5-acre site is already zoned for commercial purposes, and no environmental review is required, the application is expected to proceed relatively quickly.

Interim Cloverdale Community Development Director Jerry Haag estimated the store could be open by the summer of 2017.

Haag noted that polls conducted for planning purposes ?in communities typically show that residents want quality schools, followed by more grocery stores.

“Hopefully it will fulfill some economic goals in the city, offer more competition and another line of food products,” he said of Grocery Outlet. “Personally, I think it’s a good thing for the community.”

Currently there are some smaller grocery stores, including a couple of Mexican markets, in Cloverdale, and a natural-foods market is planned downtown.

City Manager Paul Cayler said he is excited about the potential development and because it addresses the need citizens often express for more grocery and food choices.

He said that when he lived in Ukiah, he shopped at the Grocery Outlet there. He described it as a “reputable” company with a wide variety of products and very competitive pricing.