Target store is set to open in Scotts Valley
SKOTTS VALLOY >> The city of Scotts Valley announced Wednesday that a Target store is coming to the former Kmart building in the Scotts Valley Square Shopping Center.
The release said the city “is pleased to welcome a new Target store in the coming years.” But it did not specify a date for an opening or other details. Scotts Valley City Manager Tina Friend told the Sentinel that she didn’t have specifics on a possible opening date and referred media inquiries to Target’s corporate offices.
Target, through a company spokeswoman, confirmed the store’s opening and said that Target is excited to bring the retailer to Scotts Valley.
As the date nears to opening the store, the spokeswoman said the company would have more specific details to share — including how the shopping experience will be tailored to serve local guests and the grand opening date.
Target has two other stores in Santa Cr uz County:1825 41st Ave. in the Capitola Mall and 1415 Main St., Watsonville in the Overlook Shopping Center.
The Minneapolis, Minnesota, based retailer also has stores in Salinas, Gilroy, Marina and Seaside.
The Kmart in Scotts Valley closed earlier this year.
Target and the city have been down this road before, according to Sentinel archives. In 2008, about 150 people showed up at a meeting to ask questions of city leaders.
But the 2008 proposed Target store was many times larger than the one planned for the former Kmar t building. Some Scotts Valley residents — in 2008 — were concerned with the size of the store. On the table in 2008
was a 142,000-square-foot store on La Madrona Drive near Highway 17. Plans for that store were eventually shelved in February 2009.
Located at 270 Mount Herman Road, the store opening in Scotts Valley will be approximately 55,000 square feet. To compare the size, the Capitola
Target, which was a Gottschalks before the renovation, is about 135,000 square feet per a 2012 Target press release.
“Target will complement and catalyze our local businesses while providing our community with access to a world- class retailer,” said Scotts Valley Mayor Randy Johnson in the prepared release. “For years this has been a top priority for our community and today we can say we are delivering it.”
Af ter the closure of Kmart, the Scotts Valley City Council prioritized efforts to fill the vacant space, according to the release. The council appointed Vice Mayor Derek Timm as the lead on the city’s Kmart Replacement Strategy. The city worked with commercial brokers and the owner of the shopping center to develop leads, but Target was always the ideal retailer.