The new Costco in Santa Maria is expected to open in mid-September at Enos Ranch, on East Betteravia Road along Highway 101. The superstore will include a fuel station. 
Finishing touches and cleanup continues for the Black Bear Diner, which is to open Monday in a renovated bank building on East Betteravia Road in Santa Maria. 
Black Bear Diner’s signature bears are posed with strawberries, Santa Maria’s top crop. 
As seen from Bradley Road, construction of the new Lowe’s is progressing toward a mid-October opening.
The new home for Costco in Santa Maria and the city’s first Lowe’s are in a virtual race to finish first in the sprawling Enos Ranch development amid a burst of new businesses opening in the area.
But the commercial growth is not limited to Enos Ranch. The Central Coast’s first Black Bear Diner is prepared to open nearby in a renovated former bank building on East Betteravia Road at Miller Street.
The restaurant serving homestyle breakfast, lunch and dinner will open Monday, a representative of the Redding-based chain told Noozhawk.
Also Monday, Santa Maria’s first Popeye’s Louisiana Chicken is to open at 10 a.m. on East Betteravia Road next to Conserv Fuel.
Those projects have been minor compared to construction at 113-acre Enos Ranch on East Betteravia Road adjacent to and west of Highway 101. The City Council received an update last week from Community Development director Chuen Ng.
Work is progressing quickly on a new Costco building to replace the existing store. Gas pumps, lacking at the other location, are ready for dispensers and final touches, he said.
While the exterior of the building was 70 percent complete, the interior was nearly halfway done.
“And they’re looking to install shelves within a couple of weeks,” he added.
Meanwhile, work at Lowe’s also is occurring quickly, with parking lot paving done, the exterior painted and signs in place.
“We’re talking both of these stores turning over in about a month’s time,” Ng said. “This is real exciting.”
A Costco representative said the relocation would occur overnight Sept. 20 with the new site open at 8 a.m. Sept. 21.
The store will approximately 225 employees and intends to hire about 80 new workers.
The relocated Costco will feature new merchandise, with items remaining at the old location expected to be shipped to other stores, a process likely to take 90 days.
Lowe’s is aiming for a mid-October opening and plans to add 140 new jobs, the majority of which are full time, according to Steve Salazar, corporate communication director. Click here for more information about available jobs.
At the Bradley West section of Enos Ranch, the Buffalo Wild Wings building is 90 percent complete, Ng said.
Work also is underway on the building to house the first Urbane Café and a new xfinitiy location.
Enos Ranch reportedly is 97 percent leased, with other tenants lined up, including DICK’s Sporting Goods, Old Navy, Ulta, HomeGoods, Chick-Fil-A, Jack in the Box, The Habit Burger Grill and Cracker Barrel.
Meanwhile, the new home for the CoastHills Credit Union headquarters at the southeastern edge of Enos Ranch hit a snag with the discovery of an old oil sump, Ng said, adding that soil testing is underway.
Whether the project faces any delays depends on the soil testing, he added.
More than a year ago, the Enos Ranch project by San Luis Obispo-based NKT Commercial made its way through approvals at the Planning Commission and City Council levels, with developers saying they expected construction to move quickly. The development also includes auto dealerships along the Highway 101 frontage.
A few miles away, the renovated Renfrow Airport Auto Center, at the corner Highway 135 and Skyway Drive, has been readied to house a number of new businesses, including Burgerim, Santa Maria Brewing Company’s Taproom, Starbucks, That’s Fetch! dog groomer and pet store, and more.
Additionally, the existing JCPenney store at the intersection of South Broadway and West Stowell Road is getting a Sephora mini store, reportedly set to open in October.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.