Southwest San Clemente Ralphs Closed For Remodel
Revamped store expected to open by end of June 2012
Posted on December 28, 2011 by Matt.
For many years, Southwest and Central San Clemente residents have dealt with a subpar grocery store in their area. The Ralphs store, located at 903 S. El Camino Real, is the closest grocery store for residents of these neighborhoods and the only supermarket west of Interstate 5 in San Clemente. We have written repeatedly about the need for a revamp of this store and shopping center; the center itself features businesses that have been closed and old buildings that are no longer useful, so something needed to be done to revitalize this area and add a shopping necessity for residents of the most congested section in the city of San Clemente. Last month, we posted a blog ("New Ralphs Store In Southwest San Clemente May Finally Become Reality") about the San Clemente Planning Commission's approval of plans to remodel the existing Ralphs and turn it into a Ralphs Fresh Fare while adding a little over 8,800 square feet of space to the current store. A recent article in the Orange County Register, "Ralphs store closing Saturday night for big expansion," shows that work has finally begun on this long-in-the-works project that will provide a great boost to San Clemente.
The article states that the Ralphs store closed at 10:00pm on Christmas Eve and will remained closed until the remodel is completed. According to the article, the plan is for the store to be completed and reopened on June 30th, 2012, making this a fantastic Christmas present for residents of Central and Southwest San Clemente. We have highlighted the design changes in our previous blogs, but the look of the new Ralphs Fresh Fare will incorporate Spanish architectural touches like a copper dome and tile murals that are vintage San Clemente. Likewise, the store expansion will lead to the out-of-use buildings in the center being demolished, so not only are San Clemente residents getting a new supermarket, but an existing blemish within our beautiful city is being eradicated. This is great news for San Clemente residents and for people who are thinking of purchasing San Clemente real estate. With the Marblehead Coastal commercial and residential developments slowly coming back into the fold, there are exciting developments on the horizon for San Clemente.