How to resolve AdBlock issue? CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The addition of two national retailers to the local business community was the cause for a celebration in Clearlake on Monday.
The city of Clearlake and the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce held a combination ribbon-cutting and groundbreaking Monday morning to officially welcome Tractor Supply Co. and Big 5 to the former Ray’s Food Place building on Dam Road.
“It’s really a big day for us,” said City Manager Greg Folsom.
Tractor Supply Co.’s lease has been finalized for a few weeks, but Big 5’s lease became final last week, Folsom said.
Folsom said they’re the first big national retailers to come to Clearlake in quite some time. “I think they’re really a great fit for this community.”
C&K Market, which had owned the supermarket since 1995, closed it at the end of 2016. The Carrington Co., based on Eureka, purchased the building last year and set about looking for national retailers to fill the space, as Lake County News has reported.
Greg Cutler, The Carrington Co.’s regional director of acquisitions, confirmed to Lake County News last week that both Tractor Supply Co. and Big 5 would be located in the renovated building.
Contracting staff at the site on Monday explained that the building is about 42,000 square feet. Of that total, about 22,000 will go to Tractor Supply Co., with Big 5 to fill about 15,000 square feet.
Cutler said The Carrington Co. is still working to finalize who the tenant will be for the third and final space. Estimates for the size of the third space have ranged between 6,500 and 7,000 square feet.
Folsom said the city had worked with The Carrington Co. over the last nine months on a number of site issues in the lead up to signing the two new leases.
On Monday, Folsom said, “We weren’t really sure whether to call this a ribbon cutting or a groundbreaking, so we’re doing both.”
Demolition started about a month ago in order to clear it out, according to the contractor on scene. The contracting crew is anticipating working at the site for six months.
The exterior work began on Monday, with Folsom explaining that the new facade will look entirely different. He said all of the plans have been submitted and approved.
The investment in the project so far is estimated at about $5 million for property purchase and renovation, not counting what the new retailers themselves will bring, according to the contractor staff. Thanks to upgrades, power consumption is expected to be about one-third of what it was for Ray’s.
City council members, planning commissioners, staff and county officials were on hand for the celebration.
District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith said the stores will generate sales tax to benefit the roads and police, and he credited the Clearlake City Council and city staff for their work to bring new business to the city.
“This is huge for the city of Clearlake,” said Smith. “I think it’s just the start we’ve been waiting for.”
Folsom said the city is excited about the retailers’ investment in the community.
He noted it was a sad day when Ray’s left, but he thanked The Carrington Co. for its work to come to Clearlake and bring two quality new retailers that are perfect for the community, and which will bring jobs and help generate sales tax dollars to benefit city services.
Mayor Bruno Sabatier said of the project, “The excitement is very high.”
He said that the city council had worked hard to find Folsom, who they selected for the city manager’s job in part because of his development background and his ability to bring in businesses.
“We’ve been talking for a long time that we’re turning a corner here in Clearlake. To get national businesses to pay attention to us and want to come here, we’ve turned that corner. We’re making things happen and this is the beginning,” Sabatier said.
Clear Lake Chamber officials also greeted the new members of the business community.
“I can’t believe I’m this excited about new stores in Clearlake. It’s going to be great to see the impact this has on the entire county,” said Clear Lake Chamber President Denise Loustalot.
“When one door closes another one opens, and this is a fantastic new door for the city of Clearlake and the county of Lake,” said Clear Lake Chamber Vice President John Jensen, who also is co-founder and co-publisher of Lake County News.
Folsom said the developer is supposed to have the space ready for the tenant businesses to make their improvements in the spring, with the new stores expected to be open this summer.
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