Tag Archives: wheaton way

Taco Bell planned for Highway 303

UPDATE: For those of you wondering, it appears the applicants for the new Taco Bell project are also owners of the existing Taco Bell on Wheaton Way.

A Taco Bell with drive-thru is planned for a vacant lot on Highway 303, south of Fairgrounds Road, according to a permit application filed with the county.

The 2,000-square-foot restaurant will be built adjacent to Starbucks, Quiznos and, most interestingly, a Taco del Mar.

(Taco Time is located on the same stretch of highway, and there’s a Taco Bell less than 2 miles south on Wheaton Way.)

Click on the image above to see the site plan for the new Taco Bell.

Marijuana shop approved in East Bremerton

Tad Sooter

A second recreational marijuana store has been approved inside Bremerton city limits.

The new store is called Destination Highway 420 (not to be confused with HWY 420). It’s located at 1225 Hollis Street next to Los Cabos Grill in East Bremerton.

The state’s newly-renamed Liquor and Cannabis Board approved the store Thursday. Destination Highway 420 will hold a soft opening next week.

Destination Highway 420 joins Pacific Cannabis Company, which opened on Callow Avenue earlier this summer. A third Bremerton store at 11th and Callow is in the approval pipeline.

The aforementioned HWY 420 was the first store to open in the Bremerton area. It set up shop on Charleston Beach Road last October, just outside city limits.

The addition of Destination Highway 420 brings Kitsap’s count of recreational marijuana shops to seven (you can expand the map above or click here to see all the locations).

East Bremerton Haggen opening May 28

Tad Sooter

The Albertsons in East Bremerton will become a Haggen Northwest Fresh store a week from now.

The Wheaton Way Albertsons is scheduled to close May 26 for conversion, and reopen May 28 under the Haggen banner.

Here’s the schedule provided by Haggen:

Bremerton- Albertsons Store at 2900 Wheaton Way

6:00 pm, Tuesday, May 26 – Store closes
12:01 am, Wednesday, May 27- Haggen takes ownership of the store
4:00 pm*, Thursday, May 28 – Store opens as Haggen (*Opening time is tentative)
NOTE: The pharmacy will remain open during the conversion starting late morning May 27

Two other Kitsap grocery stores have already converted to Haggen. A Silverdale Albertsons and Port Orchard Safeway made the change in March.

Bellingham-based Haggen acquired 146 Albertsons and Safeway stores this spring as part of a divestiture required for the merger of the two grocery titans.

You can read all my posts about Haggen’s arrival in Kitsap here. Haggen posted a FAQ about store conversions.

Kitsap Bank on Wheaton Way opens Monday

Tad Sooter

When the newly-rebuilt Kitsap Bank branch in East Bremerton opens Monday longtime customers may recognize a familiar face.

John Glomsted, the manager who opened the original branch in 1961, will serve as the honorary first customer. The new campus, at 3425 Wheaton Way, is set for a 9 a.m. soft opening.

The Starbucks coffee shop integrated with the bank is expected to open later this month. A grand opening for the campus is scheduled for Aug. 8.

Kitsap Bank Marketing Director Shannon Childs said contractors are putting finishing touches on the 5,000-square-foot building (about half of the space is dedicated to the coffee shop). A solar array is still being installed. The glass-sided structure includes drive-through windows for both banking and coffee.

Kitsap Bank emphasized recycling and the use of reclaimed materials during demolition and construction. The new branch will also feature new technology, including automated cash counters and tablet computers. Special equipment available for business customers will be on display.

Childs said the Port Orchard-based bank is looking forward to renewing its presence in East Bremerton.

“We’re very excited about bringing this new branch to Bremerton and especially to this neighborhood that welcomed more than 50 years ago,” Childs said. “We’re pleased to be part of the revitalization of this area.”

The old Wheaton Way branch was demolished in May.

(This post was corrected to reflect John Glomsted’s role in the opening).

Eastside Auto Wrecking shutting down Friday

Tad Sooter

Eastside Auto Wrecking – in business since the 1940s – will shut down for good Friday.

The East Bremerton wrecking yard has been in the Lillybridge family since 1981. Manager Mike Lillybridge said the family couldn’t keep pouring money into a business in rapid decline.

A shrinking customer base, hard-to-work-on modern cars, and government regulations have made junkyards nearly impossible to keep open, he said.

“I would be shocked if this industry is still around in 10 years.”

He said the work was hard but enjoyable.

“I’ve always been a big customer service guy, just being able to help people, and help them save money.”

Friday was the last day Eastside would sell auto parts. There are still about 350 cars in the yard to strip and prep for the crusher. That process will probably take a month.

Meanwhile the Eastside property is up for sale. Lillybridge said the 6.5 acres were listed Thursday at $1.5 million.

Watch the Kitsap Sun for an in-depth story and video on the wrecking yard business. If you were an Eastside customer please share your thoughts in the comment section or send me an email at tad.sooter@kitsapsun.com