New Seasons will open a 25,000-square-foot store on North Lombard Street near Roosevelt High School, store officials announced today. The store, at the southeast corner of North Westanna Street, will open in 2016.
The store will serve the St. Johns, University Park, Portsmouth and Cathedral Park neighborhoods. Officials said it will create 150 jobs. As officials did when creating the North Williams Avenue store, they plan to hire mostly residents from the surrounding neighborhoods.
"Year after year, this has been one of our most requested potential neighborhoods," New Seasons President Wendy Collie said in a news release. Store representatives hadn't been able to find the right location before now.
The store, which will replace the University Grill and Master Transmission, features a continuous green canopy along North Lombard Street and a green roof over the outside deli seating area. Market leaders will lease the site from Deacon Development Group.
Construction will begin next year. Look for a longer story from the Oregonian about what this means for the surrounding neighborhoods later today.
UPDATE: Here's the fuller story, with comments from neighbors and a look at New Seasons' expansion plans.
-- Casey Parks