<< Previous   of   Next >> Contributed art  (click to enlarge) An artist's rendering of the new PCC Natural Markets in Edmonds' Westgate neighborhood. Construction is underway, and the store is scheduled to open Sept. 3.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

• PCC: Edmonds location info (External Link)

CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, Copy editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

PCC illegally chops three trees in Edmonds

Plans to open only Snohomish County location in September

By Chris Fyall
Enterprise editor

One of the Puget Sound's premium grocers is set to open in Edmonds Sept. 3, despite a recent bump in the road.

Er, make that a "stump" in the road.

Construction crews working on the new PCC Natural Markets store in Westgate illegally removed three trees recently, drawing fines from the city of $1,500 and new permit fees of over $400.

The tall trees included a conifer and two dead birches, PCC officials said.

When the Edmonds location opens, it will be PCC's ninth, but its only one in Snohomish County.

The Seattle-based grocery co-op, which prides itself on its green practices and sustainable methods, has developed a replanting plan which it will present to the city's Architectural Design Board, PCC spokesperson Diana Crane said July 7. PCC will also need to submit a revised landscaping plan to the ADB, city officials said.

PCC officials had hoped to open the store in mid-August, but have recently pushed the opening date back to Sept. 3. The delay is due to construction issues, and not the removed trees, officials said.

The trees were removed to make way for a cistern which will collect rainwater that PCC will use to flush the store's toilets and water the store's plants, Crane said.

"We do want to be very green and sustainable," she said. "(The cistern) is being done so that we can approach some better and more responsible land management."

The city fined PCC $500 for each tree.

The city's normal $400 landscaping permit fee was also doubled, because PCC's work was done without proper approval, said Duane Bowman, the city's development services director.

But, PCC's error won't cause any long term problems, he said.

"They said 'Oops,'" Bowman said. "They are paying the fees, they'll pay the fine, and we'll move on."

New store
Architects and designers for Edmonds' PCC location hope the building will win a rating of Platinum LEED, for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

If they win the Platinum certification, it would be only the second Platinum LEED building in Washington state, according to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which awards the certifications.

PCC's last store, in Redmond, won the Gold rating, one of only 29 buildings to have attained that rating, according to the USGBC.

The new PCC is being rebuilt in the shell of the old Albertson's location at the corner of 100th Avenue West and Edmonds Way.

It will have about 24,000 square feet, making it slightly larger than PCC's Redmond or Fremont locations, Crane said. PCC is looking for health or fitness type tenants to rent small storefronts, she said.

Reporter Chris Fyall: 425-673-6525 or cfyall@heraldnet.com

An earlier version of this story reported that the Edmonds PCC store will be the first in Snohomish County, but that was incorrect. PCC operated a store in South Everett from 1992-1995.