Winnetka Neighborhood Council Members were excited to meet neighbors at CicLAvia in Winnetka on Sunday, December 8. CicLAvia hosted a huge event that closed down Sherman Way to car traffic and opened it up to biking, walking and more. The event happens rain or shine and we had both! WNC President David Uebersax was accompanied by our Outreach Support Dog: Bitzli Blue who did a great job attracting attention! Also on hand were Secretary Lisa Reeber, Board Members Franklin Solis and Ana Estrada.
Our table was located at the corner of Corbin and Sherman Way at the Winnetka Hub, right next to the CHP who were giving out bike helmets. Most importantly, we were situated right in front of the former location of Fallas, which is currently being considered by the Council to be a new Grocery Outlet.
What is a Grocery Outlet you ask? Good question! They recently made a presentation at our Planning and Land Use Committee Meeting, so we learned that they started as a family grocery store in the Bay Area and their expansion has led them to us. They also have stores in Simi, North Hollywood and Burbank as part of their 50 stores in the Los Angeles area. They provide inventory from a central supply source to local independent operators who can curate their offerings for their community and hire locally. On their website they describe themselves as “the nation’s largest extreme value retailer.” At our meeting, they described themselves as being in the top tier of customer satisfaction for groceries along with Costco and Trader Joe’s. At CicLAvia we met a family that just moved here from the Bay Area and unsolicited they shared their enthusiasm for Grocery Outlet.
At CicLAvia we were able to share about this proposed development with stakeholders and invite them to our meeting on Tuesday, December 10 to hear about it for themselves. Grocery Outlet will be on hand to make a presentation. This is not a done deal yet. The Winnetka Neighborhood Council Board will be considering their proposal and is interested in hearing from neighbors. Last year in discussions with the property owner about possibilities for this site, WNC provided input on what the neighborhood would be interested in and we are excited that our input was taken to heart and this opportunity is presenting itself. We invite you too to come and find out more at our meeting December 10, 6:30pm at the Winnetka Convention Center, next to the Winnetka Bowl at 20122 Vanowen St.
Also of note is that Grocery Outlet is seeking approval for a license to sell liquor. However, this is not a new liquor license, as they acquired it from Rite Aid.
