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Save-On Foods to enter Steveston Village

A “village-scale” Save-On Foods is coming to Steveston, according to Platform Properties’ principal Kyle Shury, whose company plans to lease 20,000 square-feet of retail space to the popular grocer, thus transforming the area’s shopping options.
Roderick save-on
Save-On Foods will be located below The Roderick mixed-use development, featuring 32 homes and four retailers. This illustration shows the planned corner of Moncton Street and Third Avenue. Photo by Platform Properties

A “village-scale” Save-On Foods is coming to Steveston, according to Platform Properties’ principal Kyle Shury, whose company plans to lease 20,000 square-feet of retail space to the popular grocer, thus transforming the area’s shopping options.

There was strong interest from grocers to establish themselves as the anchor tenant at The Roderick, a new 75,000-square-foot development that is to replace the now-demolished Rod’s Lumber Supplies on Third Avenue, between Moncton and Chatham streets.

Save-On will be on the ground floor along Chatham Street, said Shury, who will fill the Moncton side with three other retail shops. There will be 50 parking spaces built below, and 32 relatively large condos (1,300-2,600 square feet with rooftop terraces) on the second and third floors.

Julie Dickson, director of public affairs for Save-On Foods of the Overwaitea Food Group, said while there are no exact details as to what the store will look like, she expects a full complement of services at the small-scale grocery store, such as a bakery, deli and meat department.

“We will be creative with space, but there will be a full complement,” she said.

This will be Overwaitea’s fourth location in Richmond. By comparison, the Save-On at Terra Nova is about 35,000 square feet.

Shury said construction is expected to finish in early 2019. He said Platform Properties is still waiting for a building permit but all other hurdles have been cleared.

Dickson said her company has been interested in moving into Steveston for some time.

“I think anytime the neighbourhood and demographics supports this offering, and if we can help with the community’s growth, we’re interested in doing that,” said Dickson.

She said the store will be tailored to the wants and needs of local residents, much like their other stores in B.C.

“We figure out locally what items of interest the customers may have. Managers have latitude in stocking shelves,” explained Dickson.

The store could employ at least 100 people, she said.

The store will provide an alternative to the family-owned and operated Super Grocer, which has been a staple for decades in Steveston. The new store also exerts pressure on other grocers who may be contemplating moving into the village, such as at Imperial Landing where that developer, Onni Group, and the City of Richmond continue to negotiate rezoning of empty buildings presently zoned for maritime use.

Shury is to open a sales centre at Steveston Real Estate this month for the condos. He expects boomers looking to downsize from detached homes to be a primary customer.

“We’ve seen a strong interest from people selling their single-family homes as they age. There aren’t many homes in Steveston. We’ve seen a flight of those people out to Tsawwassen and White Rock,” said Shury.