Clothing, grocery chains to be completed by June

Construction crews began working on the vacant lots between Costco and The Home Depot Dec. 9 in preparation for a Ross Dress For Less and Grocery Outlet. The $4.5 million project is expected to be completed by the end of June. Sequim Gazette photo by Amanda Winters.

by AMANDA WINTERS and MATTHEW NASH

Sequim Gazette

After negotiating an agreement on transportation impact fees, construction began last week on a Ross Dress for Less and Grocery Outlet on West Washington Street between Costco and The Home Depot.

The $4.5 million project by Madison Sequim LLC, which owns the Sequim Village Marketplace, petitioned to credit earlier payments of $100,000 and $133,695 toward the city’s assessed transportation impact fee of $213,330. The impact fee is part of the city’s new impact fee ordinance for new development.

Sequim City Attorney Craig Ritchie said the Madison Sequim LLC group wanted credit for money they already shelled-out such as contributions toward installing a traffic signal at River Road, the roundabout on River Road and the traffic signal at Ninth Avenue.

Building permits for the project were submitted June 15. At the time Tom Lee, representing Madison Sequim LLC, said the group hoped to have a construction timeline by October.

The construction of the 27,690 square foot Ross Dress For Less and 17,784 square foot Grocery Outlet should be completed by the end of June 2011. Construction crews fenced off the area and began clearing the site the second week of December.

Ross Dress for Less, which has stores across nationwide, sells discounted clothing, footwear, jewelry, bedding and household items. Grocery Outlet sells discounted food, wine, beer, housewares and health and beauty items. Currently, the nearest Ross Dress for Less is in Silverdale and the nearest Grocery Outlet is in Bremerton.

Reach Amanda Winters at awinters@sequimgazette.com.

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.