Trader Joe’s Aims For Thanksgiving Opening

Morgan Hill mayor thanks city staff for fast work on the
project
n By Tony Burchyns

Staff Writer

Morgan Hill – The long wait for Trader Joe’s may be over by Thanksgiving. Store representatives confirmed an aggressive six-month building schedule at Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony.

“Our target date is Nov. 17,” said Trader Joe’s Regional Vice President Steve Haro. 

Morgan Hill residents and city staff have been courting the specialty grocery chain for about 10 years. Two years ago thousands took part in a postcard campaign organized by the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce. Finally, about a year ago, the retail giant started “looking seriously” at parcels in the city, said Morgan Hill Director of Business Assistance and Housing Services Garret Toy. 

Since then, city staff have scrambled to get the project off the ground as quickly as possible.

Land had to be rezoned, designs had to be approved and building permits issued. Partnering closely with Trader Joe’s representatives to get the job done, Toy said the city shaved four to six months off the bureaucratic process.

“The city was proactive,” Toy said. “We took the initiative to get the entitlements in place.”

Several city officials, including Mayor Dennis Kennedy, were on hand for the groundbreaking. It was a cheerful event. Kennedy thanked the chamber and all who helped make the deal a success.

“It’s always been the number-one retail center Morgan Hill residents have wanted,” Kennedy said. 

Morgan Hill City Councilman Larry Carr said the Trader Joe’s project benefits the city’s quality of life more than its general fund. A car dealership on the same parcel would make more money for the city, but surrounding residents lobbied against such a project in recent years. 

“We listened to the needs of the community,” Carr said. “And city staff did what they could to fast-track the project.”

Trader Joe’s is known for its Hawaiian-shirted crews and hard-to-find domestic and imported wines and gourmet foods. The business began as a chain of convenience stores called Pronto Markets in the Los Angeles area. In 1967, the founder, Joe Coulombe – the original “Trader Joe” – expanded the size of the stores and decked them out with cedar plank walls and nautical decor. 

Morgan Hill’s Trader Joes will be built on roughly 2.5 acres of vacant land near Laurel Road and E. Dunne Avenue. Haro said it would be 500 to 1,000 square feet bigger than most of the other 254 stores in the chain. A 30-year lease was signed March 24 for an undisclosed sum. 

“It’s fair market value,” said John Telfer of South County Realty, who handled the deal.

Some Morgan Hill residents who weren’t at the ceremony said they were happy Morgan Hill had attracted another food option.

“I just think we need more variety,” said Pat Tharp. “We have a lot of the same types of supermarkets.”

Said Jeannette Riley: “We have been wanting it for several years. When I go to San Jose I bring my cooler” to Trader Joe’s at Almaden Plaza shopping center. “I won’t have to do that anymore.”

Tony Burchyns covers Morgan Hill for The Times. Reach him at 779-4106 ext. 201 or [email protected].