Eagle Mtn. to get a grocery store

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — After 11 years of driving miles to get a gallon of milk and some ham, Eagle Mountain residents will soon be able to get their groceries in their own city.

The city and Associated Food Stores have finalized an agreement to build the first grocery in the city of roughly 23,000 people. Construction on the 50,000-square-foot store will begin in August and should be finished by April or May 2009.

Eagle Mountain Mayor Heather Jackson said city officials are thrilled about the coming new addition to the city.

"It's been a long time coming," she said. "We're glad to get it."

A new addition to the city will not only make life a little easier for Eagle Mountain residents but will also extend the city's tax base, bringing in more income for the city. Part of the sales tax will go directly to the city, which will help give taxpayers some relief, Jackson said.

The store, which will be located at the intersection of state Route 73 and Ranches Parkway, will include a bakery, deli, indoor and drive-up pharmacy and organic food.

The city and Associated Food had been working together off and on for three years and recently decided the store would be helpful to residents, said Steven Miner, president of Market Development Inc., the real estate arm of Associated Foods.

Eagle Mountain is working to entice more businesses to move into the city, including fast food restaurants and banks, Jackson said. She said the city is closest to getting the fast food.

Associated Food officials told city leaders the store will be a Coop's Market, which will be the first in the valley. The store will be owned by CWC Inc., an independent retailer. The company, an independent wholesaler, works in conjunction with Macey's, Harmon's, Allen's and other locally owned grocery stores, distributing their food and helping with real estate.

"This development is influential to the community of Cedar Valley and Eagle Mountain because it establishes a neighborhood shop," Miner said.

Miner affirmed Jackson's assessment that it will help the tax base, but he also said it will help create needed jobs in the city as well.

In addition to the grocery store, the developer sold from 50,000 to 60,000 square feet of retail space to DAI Inc. for smaller shops, Miner said.

The grocery store will also have a high emphasis on perishable foods and will include a meat cutter and other specialized equipment, he said.

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E-mail: csmith@desnews.com