Bristol Farms reportedly plans to resume construction any day now on its store at La Cumbre Plaza in Santa Barbara, with the hope of opening in this spring.
The health-based grocery store, which is a sister business to Lazy Acres Market on the Mesa, is replacing the Vons supermarket in the shopping center at 3885 State St.
However, work came to a sudden halt in November after the city ordered the company to stop because of unpermitted work on the site.
The company was in the midst of making several interior and exterior renovations to the building when crews went silent after the city discovered work on the site that went beyond the scope of the project’s permit.
The tenant improvements triggered storm-water management work, forcing Bristol Farms to resubmit plans. The project remained idle through through the holidays.
But earlier this week, the city held a pre-construction meeting with Bristol Farms representatives, said Marck Aguilar, a project planner and business liaison for the city.
Bristol Farms requested a revised permit and the city issued a new one in December.
Bristol Farms did not return Noozhawk’s calls for comment, but Aguilar said he spoke with the company’s director of construction on Tuesday, and it is “full speed ahead.”
“I would expect to see activity beginning to ramp up again at the site,” Aguilar said. “I believe they are still targeting a spring 2020 open.”
Vons vacated the building in the struggling shopping center in 2018. Anchor tenant Sears also closed in the mall, which has several empty storefronts.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.