Whole Foods Market Coming To Midtown Sacramento

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Whole Foods Market confirmed Wednesday that it will be building a store in Midtown Sacramento.

The store will be built at 20th and L Streets where a parking garage and vacant building now stand, according to a company statement. The store will be around 40,000 square feet and will occupy the first floor of a mixed-use building, with residential units above.

"We are excited to expand our reach into Sacramento's eclectic and dynamic Midtown neighborhood," said Rob Twyman, regional president of Whole Foods Market's Northern California region. "We look forward to serving and partnering with this community."

Ground breaking will take place in spring 2016.

Back in February when rumors surfaced about the store coming to Midtown, some shoppers expressed excitement at the possibility of the store opening, but some were not so happy.

"I really don't think we need any more big grocery stores," said Harinder Singh, who owns Pacific Market.

He says area markets like his have had a hard time seeing profits, and a Whole Foods would only make the situation worse.
"I think it's really going to hurt my business, plus all the corner stores," he said.

Midtown currently has two grocery stores: Safeway and the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op. Residents are torn between thinking three's a crowd and two isn't enough. The Midtown Business Association insists said there is enough business to go around.

"If they do join our community, they will act as an anchor tenant to retain our retails which span from mom and pop businesses to start ups to larger retailers. We believe this market is populous enough to sustain the Natural Foods Co-op, Whole Foods and other grocers," the group said in a statement.