City officials are downplaying an Idaho-based company’s plans to open one of its discount-centric stores in Thornton.
WinCo Foods wants to build a 84,000-square-foot grocery store on land at the southeast corner of East 164th Avenue and Washington Street, according to the Denver Business Journal. This would be one of WinCo’s first forays in the Denver metro area. The company reportedly has also approached the Town of Firestone with development plans.
The Journal’s reporting is based on pre-application documents presented to the City of Thornton.
The Journal says that WinCo is known for its warehouse-style supermarkets that feature low prices and a large selection of bulk items. The employee-owned stores are typically open 24 hours a day all week, except for select holidays.
The company’s proposal requires the two properties where WinCo would build its store to be combined and rezoned by the city, documents show. Plans also show future pad sites would be included, according to the Journal.
The area is currently zoned as a business park, which would not allow a grocery store that is larger than 3,500 square feet. The most compatible zone district to develop the property per WinCo’s plans would be regional commercial, documents from February state, according to the Journal.
The Journal article was “quite premature” from the City of Thornton’s perspective, said city spokesman Todd Barnes.
“Winco has had discussions with the City, and we are hopeful to continue discussions, but we have nothing committing them to Thornton at this point,” Barnes said via email.