Salmon Creek’s deserted Zupan’s to be demolished

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The last Clark County Zupan’s is now a deserted shell set for destruction, making way for an incoming Safeway store at Salmon Creek Plaza on Highway 99. Zupan’s Market formerly anchored the southern grocery portion of the Salmon Creek Plaza, balanced by a Hi-School Pharmacy, which remains open for business.
Developer C.E. John Co., Inc. announced plans to demolish the former Zupan’s, erect a new Safeway building, and develop 12,000 square feet of additional retail space north of the plaza.
James John Construction Inc. is managing the demolition job, a process that should take about three weeks from the initial security fence setup and utility shutdown to site clearing, according to Walker John, general project manager for C.E. John Company.
“We’re tearing down 33,000 square feet of space and replacing it with a 55,000-square-foot store,” said John, “The new store is scheduled to open this spring.”
The new store can’t be built fast enough for Salmon Creek Hi-School Pharmacy manager, Roger Jacob. He says the Safeway will improve sales and traffic, bringing more customers into the complex.
“We’re kind of sitting by ourselves right now,” said Jacob.
According to Jacob, even though Zupan’s catered to a limited, upscale clientele, the market brought more customers into the 20-year-old Salmon Creek Plaza than Hi-School Pharmacy and the remaining handful of small retailers are seeing this summer. After working for Hi-School Pharmacy for 25 years, Jacobs understands the advantages of sharing a close proximity to another large store.
Said Jacobs, “We need a grocery store back.”