Tooele’s new Star Plaza has secured its namesake business—the strip mall will feature a Starbucks with a drive-through window—but it is still unclear what other businesses will join it at the new location.
The Star Plaza strip mall, located north of Zions First National Bank and Maceys at 1024 N. Main Street, could house up to four commercial shops when finished.
However, Starbucks is the only business that has announced plans to move into the new retail space.
Randy Sant, economic development consultant for Tooele City, said the city itself is unsure exactly which businesses, if any, are set to move into the strip mall.
“We didn’t even know Starbucks was coming in there until the sign,” he said, adding that there is nothing to require the developer, Tooele Endeavor LLC, to release names of potential tenants to the city.
However, Sant said he is aware of a number of businesses that have inquired about the property, including several salons and chain restaurants such as Jimmy John’s, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and Chick-fil-A.
Oftentimes negotiations with retail chains come to a halt because of the size of Tooele’s population, Sant said. When the population reaches the “magic number” of 50,000, the city could see an explosion of growth.
Since the developer has not revealed the names of the remaining mystery tenants, Sant said he suspects the strip mall faces one of three possible situations. Either the strip mall’s broker is still negotiating with potential tenants, additional tenants in addition to Starbucks have not been secured, or the unknown tenants don’t want to reveal to their competitors that they intend to move into the Tooele area.
When finished, the three-quarter acre strip mall will house 6,200 square feet of commercial space, with store fronts facing Main Street and parking behind the building, according to plans unanimously approved by the Tooele City Planning Commission in July.