Patterson Irrigator

It all points to a surge in interest from retailers, though developers say some well-known businesses are holding off until Patterson’s population grows a bit more.

“When (retailers) spend millions of dollars on a new store, they have to have bodies go through the door to stay open,” said Joe Hollowell of Sperry Commercial LLC, which is developing the Patterson Plaza Shopping Center on the southwest corner of Sperry and Ward avenues.

The new Patterson Plaza shopping center already is set to include Longs Drugs Stores and Taco Bell. Hollowell said he has also talked with representatives from a variety of other nationally known companies, though none have committed to the center.

The 15,791-square-foot building for Longs Drugs is already under construction, and work could begin on a building for Taco Bell in September or October.

The goal is to have Longs open sometime around Thanksgiving, Hollowell said, and there’s a chance Taco Bell could open before year’s end.

The entire shopping center will be 170,000 to 180,000 square feet, depending on its major anchor tenant.

Some of the companies Patterson Plaza has looked at as potential anchor stores include Safeway and Raley’s supermarkets, big-box retailers Target and Wal-Mart, and hardware giant Home Depot, Hollowell said.

Mark Voelker of Modesto-based Signtech works on the outside of Strings Italian Café last week. The café plans to open next month in the Plaza Building at Villa Del Lago. Melissa Carrick/Patterson Irrigator

Once Patterson Plaza has secured an anchor tenant, it will aim to attract smaller supporting shops. Shopping center representatives have talked to a nationally known auto parts store, a tire seller, banks and several fast food restaurants about filling those roles, Hollowell said.

Meanwhile, construction work is ongoing across the street for the 36,472-square-foot second phase of the Patterson Marketplace shopping center, which contains Save Mart Supermarkets. Dollar Tree will inhabit a 10,032-square-foot building in the new area, and paint store Sherwin Williams will be in a 5,200-square-foot building.

Project representative Keith Fitzgerald said the shopping center also has signed leases with a wireless company, a dentist’s office and a nail salon. It is negotiating with a nationally known sandwich shop and a new, locally owned bar and grill.

Construction of the second phase could be complete within 60 to 90 days, with some businesses possibly being open by November or December, he said. 

 
Work continues on the Longs Drugs building on Sperry Avenue.

A few miles to the west, things are bustling at the Plaza Building in the Villa Del Lago commercial area.
“There’s been a heck of a lot of community interest,” said Dominic Speno, project developer and owner.

The building already houses Lampost Pizza and local gym Hydra Fitness Figures. Strings Italian Café is expected to open the first week of September, while El Rosal will open this week.

One of the biggest construction delays at Strings resulted from a second story being added to the restaurant, Speno said. However, the sign for that restaurant should go up this week, and work inside the restaurant is moving along.

A gift shop for Stewart & Jasper Orchards, which will sell various packages and baskets of agricultural goods, could open within the next 60 days. In addition, a barbecue takeout restaurant should open in 60 to 90 days, Speno said.

The developer is negotiating with a potential tenant for another space in the building, while yet another space remains available.

Speno has said a second Plaza Building planned for Villa Del Lago would have more small stores and fewer restaurants on the first floor, while the second floor would provide living spaces, if all goes as planned.

When it comes to retail, Patterson could see many changes in the near future, including more interest from national chains now that it has passed the 20,000 population mark, Hollowell said.

The biggest challenge in marketing Patterson is still the city’s size, he said.

Fitzgerald said many national tenants have criteria regarding a city’s daytime population, too.

On the flip side, Hollowell said one advantage Patterson offers retailers is a relative lack of competition.
At this point, he said there is a lot of leakage, with Patterson residents shopping in nearby areas.

However, he hopes that will soon change.

“Our area and city needs additional shopping,” Hollowell said.

To reach Jonathan Partridge at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

Name

Email

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment