By Nick Gilbert
The construction of Grand Ridge Plaza, which is predominantly a shopping center anchored by Safeway, a national grocer on 24.58 ac land in the Issaquah Highlands, east of Seattle, will be handled by Regency Centers, a nationally recognized developer of grocery-anchored shopping centers.
The Grand Ridge Plaza will be the single major retail center to serve the Issaquah Highlands community and the regions around it.
The plan for the Grand Ridge Plaza consists of a 280,113 sq. ft. pedestrian-friendly open air center which includes 44,543 sq. ft. for Safeway and 56,820 sq. ft. for 12-screen Regal Cinemas. To draw customers from surrounding areas like greater Issaquah, the Sammamish Plateau and Interstate 90, the Plaza will focus on restaurants, convenience retail, entertainment, and destination retailers.
The Senior Vice President for Regency Centers, Craig Ramey said that the company is pleased to be a part of the Issaquah Highlands community and has plans to expand further into the Pacific Northwest region. As the Plaza is built on the last infill development places, they will gain from minimal competition due to the high barriers for entry, he commented.
Regency will be incorporating its greengenuity program and the basic sustainability efforts of the Issaquah Highlands community into the Grand Ridge Plaza by using several green building strategies such as the LEED certification, which is a nationally recognized design, construction, and operation standard for green buildings. Grand Ridge Plaza will be built using sustainable construction materials, water conservation, and recycling.
Safeway will be opened in the Q4 of 2013, and the first-phase of Regal Cinemas will happen in the Q2 of 2013.
Source: www.RegencyCenters.com