New Whole Foods to Herald Coddingtown Changes?
The Press Democrat reports that Whole Foods Market, the nation’s largest organic grocer, plans to open a second Santa Rosa store at Coddingtown Mall in the 50,000 sq. ft. space formerly occupied by Ralph’s. The new store, expected to open in the fall of 2008, will be twice the size of Whole Foods’ existing Santa Rosa location on Yulupa Avenue.
Brad Baker, president of Codding Investments, which in 2005 sold half its interest in the mall to Simon Property Group, the nation’s largest mall developer, said he hopes the addition of Whole Foods will convince Simon to move forward on a major facelift for the mall, which opened in 1962.
One preliminary version submitted to Santa Rosa officials called for an $85 million facelift that included a $27 million parking garage, a fourth anchor store, renovation of 225,000 square feet of the mall and the addition of 50,000 square feet of smaller retail shops.
