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Thanksgiving food on a hoagie, Chinese food to-go, tires and a place to get them washed are all in Providence’s near future.
That’s because Quick Quack Car Wash, Panda Express, Big O Tires and Capriotti’s are the major new businesses along Highway 165 expected to open soon, according to Mayor John Drew and representatives from those companies.
Drew is touting those developments — including the ribbon-cutting Tuesday of Big O Tires, 218 S. Highway 165, Providence — as a good way to bring in more tax revenue to the city.
“The property taxes we generate from individual property owners are not enough to cover the cost to run a city,” Drew said, so retail establishments like the ones mentioned can help fill the gap.
What’s more, Drew said most people he has spoken with want chain stores coming into Providence.
“In general, people of this valley like a good value,” he said. “I don’t think they care whether it’s local or not local.”
Construction on the Las Vegas-based Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop should be complete by the end of this month or early next, wrote Chief Development Officer David Bloom in an email to The Herald Journal.
“Due to its proximity to Las Vegas, where we already have over 40 Capriotti’s locations, many people in Utah are already become CapAddicts, and have been waiting for a shop to open closer to home,” he wrote. “We are really excited to be able to bring our unique product and experience to Providence!”
Capriotti's menu includes sandwich creations like Homemade Meatball and “The Bobbie,” which includes turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing.
Alana Lange, of Nibley, who frequents Providence for shopping, said her family is excited to see new retail come into the city, especially since parts of the north end of Cache Valley have received so much development.
“We think the south end is the best-kept secret in the valley,” Lange said. “I just think it’s nice to see it become more developed.”
Linda Daines, who also lives in Nibley, agreed.
“It’s nice to have things on the south end of town,” she said. “You always have to travel to the other end.”
Big O Tires is hosting a ribbon-cutting event Tuesday at noon, according to a news release provided by the company.
It says the new Providence location will encompass 8,000 square feet and include a customer waiting area with a children’s play area. Shuttle service to get customers to and from work or home will also be available. Ten people will be employed at the Providence location.
Panda Express, the California-based Chinese food chain that already has a location in Logan by Lee’s Marketplace, is being constructed but an opening date has not been determined, according to company spokeswoman Aileen Donovan.
“When selecting new locations, the Panda team looks for neighborhoods that have a strong population base as well as a regional retail draw,” she wrote in an email to The Herald Journal. “The daytime (office and industrial) population is also something we look at as a driver; however, there are many variables in our site selections process. We are excited by our growth in Providence.”
Lange noted Panda Express as a place her family is champing at the bit to try once it’s open in Providence.
“Everybody loves it,” she said.
Another Golden State-based operation, Quick Quack Car Wash — with locations in Spanish Fork, Springville and north Provo — has purchased land in Providence, according to a company representative The Herald Journal spoke with Monday. Other locations in Utah but outside of Cache Valley are closer to being open than the Providence location, the representative said.
The pending additions of new retail in Providence come after the opening of another California-based chain, Black Bear Diner, of which Drew is a frequent customer.
“Since they opened, I haven’t been to any other restaurant,” he said.
The Providence mayor noted Black Bear Diner’s large portions, which the establishment markets itself heavily on.
“It’s hard to find something that’s under 1,000 calories,” he said. “One of the times I was there, the owner said, ‘We run out of to-go boxes,’ because the portions are typically quite large.”
Drew said the aforementioned businesses opening around Highway 165 are part of the city’s commercial highway district.
“We have a limit for non-retail businesses, and we hit that limit,” he said, referring to two credit unions and an Intermountain Healthcare branch. “So, what we’ve said at this point is, any new businesses coming in have to be retail. There are still places for retail to grow.”
So far, much of Providence’s commercial development has been on the east side of Highway 165, but Drew said there’s room on the west side as well.
“We’re doing some things to get businesses interested in locating on that side,” he said.
It is likely that area of Providence will be zoned for commercial use soon, Drew said.
“If someone came to us and said, ‘We would like to petition for a rezone,’ we would certainly consider it, and it would get favorable consideration because it’s in our future zoning map,” he said.
Lisa Vandersteen, vice president and principal broker for Amsource, which owns the Providence shopping center, said her group has not looked at that area yet because it is still working on other projects.
Vandersteen said she hopes people enjoy the new stores coming in.
“We’re very excited to have all of the tenants come into the shopping center,” she said. “They’re going help sales with all the other tenants … and create more excitement and more draw to the center.”
Correction
An earlier version of this story misattributed a quote from a Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop representative. The quotes from the company included in the story are from David Bloom, chief development officer.
