Three Bears plans new construction in Big Lake

WASILLA — A gas station — and possible liquor store — under construction in Big Lake is the first step in a planned grocery expansion by a major Alaska retailer.

For now, officials with Three Bears are seeking permission to construct a liquor package store, gas station, and convenience store at the corner of Hollywood Road and Big Lake Road, in the Hollywood Heights subdivision. That store, set to be about 4,100 square feet, will go before the planning commission for a June 6 public hearing. Company officials are seeking a conditional use permit for the liquor store, according to documents submitted to the planning commission.

However, Three Bears CFO Steve Meirop said over the next three years, Three Bears plans to add a 30,000-square foot grocery store on adjacent lots.

The gas station “is Phase 1 of a bigger project,” he said.

The expansion comes about a year after Three Bears took over the former Big Lake IGA location with bankruptcy of Alaska grocery store chain Omni Enterprises, which also owned stores in Bethel, Dillingham, and Glennallen. That acquisition opened the door for expansion into Big Lake, Meirop said.

“We saw what was going on in Big Lake, but we didn’t plan to go there,” he said. “We knew the Omni folks, they were decent folks, and they were meeting the needs of that community reasonably well.”

If approved by the planning commission, the building would be the fourth liquor package license in the Big Lake area, alongside the Big Lake Liquor Store, Big Lake Moonshine Shop, and Big Lake Super Liquor. For now, officials aren’t sure what the potential limit for liquor sales in the area is, Meirop said. However, company officials think rapid growth in the area creates the possibility for their store to operate without putting competitors out of business, Meirop said.

“When you have a growing community, the pie is enlarging,” he said. “That’s the hope. We always try to grow into communities.”

Visually, the new convenience store will resemble the grocery chain’s location in Tok, according to documents selected to the planning commission. The store will be open between 9 a.m. and midnight during the summer season, with shorter hours during rest of the year.

The public hearing is slated to begin at 6 p.m. at the borough assembly chambers, 350 E. Dahlia Street, in Palmer.

Contact reporter Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano