A new 2-story convenience store, gas station opens soon in Pismo Beach. What’s inside?
A new gas station and convenience store is set to open its doors and pumps to customers soon in Pismo Beach.
The new Poppy Market station — which has been in the works for more than five years — is nearing completion at 591 Five Cities Drive, with plans to open next month.
Poppy Market is unique among convenience stores in several ways, starting perhaps with the most obvious detail: The store is two stories tall, rather than the single-floor standard seen at most gas stations.
Pervez Pir, president of retail at Vintners Distributors, which operates 135 Shell stations and 48 Loop Neighborhood Marketplaces, said in an email to The Tribune the second story will be used for meeting and storage space.
What is that in SLO County?
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Pir said the new convenience store will provide high-quality, quick food and shopping options.
“Our neighbors should expect to have a safe experience that offers them fuel, grab-and-go food, a car wash and plenty of snacks/drinks as they head to work or hit the road for travel,” Pir said.
What is Poppy Market chain?
The first Poppy Market opened earlier this year in Arbuckle, about 50 miles from Sacramento.
The Arbuckle store includes a pet wash station, fresh produce and a proprietary “Crunchy Munchy” chicken restaurant, according to a news release from the company earlier this year.
According to that release, along with the Pismo Beach location, two other Poppy Market locations are in the building process in Adelanto and Greenfield.
The Arbuckle location can sell fuel from Shell, Chevron and a proprietary Poppy fuel blend, according to the release.
The new location on Five Cities Drive is expected to feature four pumps and eight hose hookups, along with one charging station for electric vehicles, according to city planning documents in 2019.
Pir said the Pismo Beach location will carry packaged beverages and snacks, grab-and-go hot foods, sandwiches, fresh bakery items and more.
Pismo Beach gas station rises quickly after lawsuit delays
Plans for the gas station were initially introduced to the Pismo Beach Planning Commission in November 2017, but weren’t approved for another two years.
The Planning Commission expressed concern over the building’s size, asking the applicant — Harry Tizabgar from Five Cities Drive LLC — to reduce the store to a single story or reduce the size of the “wings” that extend from the main structure.
A modified version of the project was approved by the Planning Commission in January 2018, but a faced a setback when it was appealed by attorney Wiley Ramey, according to a city timeline.
Tizabgar then sued the city to overturn the appeal, eventually acquiring a writ of mandate from the Superior Court of San Luis Obispo and gaining approval from the Pismo Beach City Council in November 2019, planning documents show.
Pir said the building started construction early this year, and is set to be completed in December.
“We found that (Pismo Beach) was a good location to serve the community,” Pir said. “Strategically, it allows us to travel down to SoCal as well as serve the neighbors with fuel, food and convenience.”
