A long sought-after piece of the proposed Scotts Valley Town Center recently hit the real estate market as the AmeriGas propane facility on Mount Hermon Road prepares to move into larger digs.
“It’s just part of a planned move and expansion,” said Jonathan King, manager of real estate sales for AmeriGas. “We’re not leaving the area.”
King said the 23,000-square-foot lot is among the smallest properties the company owns, and AmeriGas plans to move to a roomier location nearby.
“For us, it’s an underutilized property,” he said. “(The new facility will be) within a couple of miles of the current property.”
King said the company has not completed the purchase of a new space.
Scotts Valley Deputy City Manager Corrie Kates confirmed that the AmeriGas property has long been considered by developers for Town Center plans, due in part to the parcel’s prime location.
“It’s within the concept of the Town Center plan,” he said. “I know that the developer is negotiating with AmeriGas.”
While the AmeriGas property at 232 Mount Hermon Road — situated near the intersection with Kings Village Road — has always been watched with a hungry eye by the various developers that have been associated with the Town Center project as it has taken shape during the past decade, King said the company’s decision to sell the parcel had not been influenced by the development.
“This is kind of a natural move we had planned,” he said. “We would love to see (the property) in the hands of the Town Center, but there’s no agreement with the city or the developer.”
Property Development Centers, Safeway’s development arm, gained exclusive rights in December to negotiate with the city of Scotts Valley to build the Town Center mixed-use development on the land between Skypark and Mount Hermon Road. Safeway representatives said in February that, should the project move forward, the company will move its Scotts Valley store from Mount Hermon Road to anchor the Town Center.
Wendy Gutshall, manager of public affairs for Safeway’s Northern California Division, said that although PDC is in negotiation with the city to develop the Town Center, there was no deal with AmeriGas to comment on.
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