Idaho Falls development 3 years in the making getting underway soon
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IDAHO FALLS – An Idaho Falls development project that’s been in the works for several years is now in the initial stages.
Public records obtained from Bonneville County confirm an RC Willey store will be built at 3500 South Pioneer Drive on the property immediately west of Smith Chevrolet parallel to Interstate 15. The store will be 190,940-square-feet and Rocklin, California-based Tilton Pacific Construction is the contractor.
Leon Deitlaf, who works at RC Willey’s corporate office in Salt Lake City and oversees construction, tells EastIdahoNews.com it may be a while before construction begins.
“We’re about ready to get our permit. We’re in the process of it so we don’t want to slow anything down,” Deitlaf explains. “The way construction costs are right now, they (RC Willey) would like us to hold off for three, maybe six months.”
Deitlaf estimates the project will be complete sometime between the fall of 2023 or spring of 2024.
Pioneer Drive will divide the property between Smith Chevrolet and RC Willey, which is slated to be built soon. Another road called Gateway Drive behind Smith’s that goes down towards Riverbend Ranch will also be added, says Deitlaf.
“With a lot of our newer stores, we’ve done two-story construction. We decided to go back to one level with this one. It fits the rural area a bit better. It’s actually the same size, maybe even a touch bigger because of the warehouse (that will be part of it). We think it will fit in (nicely) with the area,” Deitlaf says.
Bringing an RC Willey to Idaho Falls began about three years ago when the company purchased the property. Growth in the area was the primary factor in selecting it as the site for the company’s second Idaho location.
RC Willey is a home furnishings company that provides furniture, appliances, TVs, electronics, mattresses and flooring. It was founded in 1932 by Rufus Call Willey in Syracuse, Utah, according to its Wikipedia page. Berkshire Hathaway, which is owned by Warren Buffett, purchased the company in 1995.
RC Willey has 11 stores throughout Utah, Nevada and California. A Meridian location was built in 1999 and is the franchise’s No. 1 store, according to Deitlaf.
Deitlaf is looking forward to the project getting underway and he has high expectations for a store in this part of the state.
“Idaho’s a great place. A lot of people are moving there right now and Idaho Falls seems to be really popular. It’s our targeted area and I think it will do really well,” Deitlaf says.