WinCo Foods has acquired 27.66 acres along Stacey Allison Way in Woodburn, Oregon, paying $13.61 million for the land as it moves ahead with plans for an 84,000-square-foot grocery store. The purchase, made from seller Capital Development, works out to roughly $491,990 per acre and marks a major step toward adding a grocery store in a city with limited grocery choices.
The deal was reported by CoStar, which detailed the size and price of the land parcel. But the sale caps a longer municipal process: in July, the Woodburn City Council voted 6-0 to reject a community appeal and affirm the planning commission’s approval of the project, clearing the way for the site’s design and variances, according to the Woodburn Independent.
A State Appeal Could Still Slow Things Down
Despite the purchase and the council’s affirmation, the project isn’t fully in the clear. A local opposition group called Protect Our Valley Alliance escalated its fight in late September by appealing Woodburn’s approval to Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals, or LUBA, per Citizen Portal. The same outlet reports that the appeal record had been filed by September, with a briefing schedule expected sometime this autumn.
WinCo’s application covered just under 11 acres and required city variances for lighting and signage, along with a street adjustment for cross-sections, to assemble the retail lot footprint. Neighborhood residents who testified against the project during the local approval process raised concerns about noise and increased traffic, the Woodburn Independent reported. The site is near Cascade Meadow Apartments and other residential properties…