A former Safeway grocery store building in the Orchards area is getting remodeled, and the work may be in preparation for the opening of a Big Lots store at the site, according to a pair of building permits submitted to Clark County.
The two permits pertain to the building at 11606 N.E. 76th St., which is part of a shopping center at the intersection of Northeast 76th Street and 117th Avenue. The building has sat empty since the Safeway closed in May 2016; at the time, a corporate spokesperson said it had been underperforming.
The two permit applications were submitted in June and July, and they both list Big Lots as the business name. They describe a building update that includes minor interior renovations and finish work along with exterior facade changes.
The permit listings and Clark County property records both indicate that Safeway Stores Inc. is still the owner of the building. Big Lots, Safeway and the Clark County permit services department could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
The interior work appears to be underway, with the lights on and construction equipment and personnel visible inside the building. The exterior walls and windows are so far unchanged, and the door windows still feature signs notifying visitors of the closure of the Safeway.
No timeline has been made available for the renovations, but any potential opening date appears to be a ways off. As of Friday, the building interior was empty apart from the construction equipment, and employees at another business in the shopping center said major work on the building only appeared to have started a week earlier.
A Big Lots at the site would be the second store in the chain in east Vancouver. The first is on Southeast 164th Avenue near McGillivray Boulevard. Another Big Lots was previously located in the Vancouver Village shopping center but closed in 2012.
There are currently no other Big Lots stores in Clark County, although there are several in the Portland metro area. The discount department store chain is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.
The news comes a day after Safeway confirmed plans to close another of its east Vancouver stores on Mill Plain Blvd.
