Construction has begun on the first phase of the Ceres Gateway Center, a new retail shopping center on the triangle-shaped property immediately south of the new Walmart Supercenter.
Construction on Phase 1 began this week with an estimated completion by the fall of 2022. Included are approximately 25,000 square feet of space featuring Chipotle Mexican Grill, In-N-Out Burger, Ono Hawaiian BBQ, Quick Quack Car Wash, Starbucks and others to be announced soon.
“We are excited to break ground on Ceres Gateway Center and are so grateful to our late father, Ralph C. Ogden, III, for having the original vision for this project nearly 15 years ago,” said Daniel Ogden, a family representative. “We are also thankful to the many team members who have worked tirelessly on this project through significant adversities to bring us to this stage.”
The center will occupy 13.68 acres bounded by Highway 99, Service Road and Mitchell Road.
Planning for the second phase is taking place, said David Zylstra of Zylstra Commercial, Inc., a spokesman for the project. Details about the uses in the second phase will be announced later, he said, but will bring the total square footage of retail space to approximately 127,000 square feet.
The second phase is expected to include a 64,000-square-foot hotel with 80 rooms as well as buildings for three junior anchors.
“We’d like to give special thanks to our community leaders for their unwavering support for this project and we hope it will provide visitors and residents a dynamic retail experience not otherwise found in this community.”
In 2008 the city approved the Gateway project as proposed by Ralph Ogden. The project stalled after the economy hit the skids that year. Multiple extensions were granted but the project expired in 2012. The center was redesigned and brought back in 2020 by Daniel Ogden.
The first phase includes the on- and off-site improvements including curb, gutter, sidewalk, and landscaping, parking and landscape, signage, and water, sewer, and storm drainage infrastructure, a 306-stall parking lot to serve the new retailers on seven parcels and the buildings.
The seven parcels in the first phase include:
• 1.6 acres for a 6,449-square-foot Circle K convenience store, gas pumps, carwash, and 43 parking spaces.
• A .67 acre site for a 2,500-square-foot Chipotle restaurant with a drive-thru operation and 27 parking spaces.
• 1.2 acres for a 3,974-square-foot building to accommodate an In-N-Out Burger restaurant with a drive-thru and 42 parking spaces.
• 1.11 acres reserved for a 2,192-square-foot Ono Hawaiian Grill with a drive-thru operation and 21 parking spaces.
• 0.91 acres for a 4,529-square-foot restaurant with a drive-thru operation and 46 parking stalls.
• 1.69 acres for an 11,142-square-foot building with a drive-thru to accommodate retail/restaurant/coffee shop uses and 76 parking spaces.
• A .65-acre parcel for a 2,600-square-foot building to accommodate a restaurant with a drive-thru and parking.
In 2020 Zylstra mentioned vast changes in the retail world brought about by Amazon and internet shopping which have “forced retailers to get better at both doing their brick and mortar presentation as well as online.”
He said the buildings in the project have a significant number of drive-thru lanes for retailers, and because of smartphone apps with customers pre-ordering. A number of fast-food providers are moving toward drive-up lanes. Since the pandemic, there has been ever greater reliance on drive-up lanes. The center will include significant landscaping to obscure vehicles in the cues of the drive-thru lanes visible from the freeway, Mitchell and Service roads as well as the future Service Road overpass with its diverging diamond design.
A temporary signal light has been placed on Mitchell Road at the realigned Roeding Road and the entrance to the center. The temporary signals were a requirement of the Mitchell Ranch Shopping Center with its anchor of Walmart Supercenter at the northwest corner of Mitchell and Service roads.
