Expansion plans at City Market include Starbucks and gas

Potential effect on local business undetermined

It might be possible to get a Frappuccino and a fill-up at the City Market in Gunnison after this summer.

It might be possible to get a Frappuccino and a fill-up at the City Market in Gunnison after this summer.
City Market officials and project architects met with the City of Gunnison’s Community Development Department in late February to discuss plans for expanding the Gunnison store on north Main Street, at the Gunnison Meadows Mall.
A conceptual plan of the expansion was also submitted, which depicts a 5,000-square-foot expansion of the existing store’s north side, as well as a fuel canopy with multiple pump stations an the furthest edge of the parking lot (in the middle, between City Market and Wal-Mart).
City Market Colorado spokesperson Trail Daugherty says the company anticipates beginning the expansion this summer, but they do not have a projected completion date for either the fuel station or the building expansion.
Daugherty says he is not sure if the store will be required to close for an extended period of time during construction. He says the company has different construction strategies and, “some require closing for just a few days.”
In addition to extra space for general merchandise, Daugherty says the expansion will allow “a perishables department expanded beyond what they currently offer. There will also be a Starbucks (coffee shop) added to that store.”
Daugherty couldn’t comment on whether fuel will be purchased in store, but says they are considering giving customers the option of paying at the pump with a credit card, or at a special kiosk near the fuel station that accepts cash and distributes change. “The fuel program has been very successful for us as a division, particularly in terms of customer convenience,” he says.
He says fuel discounts will be provided for City Market Value Card customers, and current cardholders will not have to get a new card.
Gunnison Chamber of Commerce executive director Tammy Scott says she hasn’t heard any feedback or concerns from local gas station owners, but says it’s still pretty early to tell what kind of economic effect the expansion will have. Scott says there may not be much difference between the price and quality of gasoline sold at City Market to that of other local gas stations. “The unique thing about it is a lot of the gas stations here get their fuel from the same place—Sweitzer Oil. They’re one of the only distributors that comes through here.”
Representatives for the Gunnison Safeway could not be contacted at press time, but Scott says it’s unlikely that Safeway will be expanding any time soon due to limited development space near their lot.
Daugherty says the City Market Corporation has been studying this expansion for some time. “We go through a very extensive process before we decide to expand a particular store. Having committed to this, we feel the market is right (in Gunnison) for additional growth.”