Community process under way for Natural Grocers project

September 26, 2014

With the late-August announcement that property owned by the Portland Development Commission at Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Alberta Street will be the site for Natural Grocers, the community process related to the project is getting under way.

Majestic Realty, with Colas Construction as the primary contractor and Natural Grocers as the anchor tenant, is proposing to construct an urban retail shopping center consisting of approximately 20,000 square feet of gross leasable area in two separate buildings to include commercial/retail lease space for between four to 10 businesses in addition to Natural Grocers, along with approximately 100 parking spaces.

Natural Grocers, a community-centric grocery store that focuses on free nutrition education and healthy food, is a Colorado-based chain with stores in 14 states. The company currently has eight locations in Oregon, including four in the Portland area.

A Project Working Group (PWG) has formed to provide input on building and site design, and to develop a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA). The PWG membership represents a diversity of expertise and experience in the community including N/NE small business owners, long-time property owners, business assistance and workforce training providers, area residents, and community members.

PWG meetings are open to the public and meeting details can be found at www.pdc.us/mlkalberta.

The proposed development will serve North/Northeast Portland neighbors and businesses. It will increase the foot traffic and activity for nearby businesses, introduce Portlanders to a high-quality, affordable grocer and revitalize a parcel of land that has sat dormant for 15 years.

PDC’s equity policy will apply and construction opportunities will be available for majority/minority joint ventures as well as subcontracting and workforce.

The PWG kicks off on Monday, September 29. The full schedule follows.

Meetings will be held at Friends of Children, 44 NE Morris Street (map)