It is “the question.”

When will Manteca get a grocery store south of the 120 Bypass?

It was asked Tuesday by a South Manteca resident at the City Council meeting.

And Mayor Gary Singh provided an answer, sort of.

Not one, but two are coming.

Nothing more specific.

A follow up question by the Bulletin produced not much more from Singh.

However, a check with those in the commercial real estate leasing businesses shows Singh is likely right.

There are two supermarket chains in what an agent not connected with either one understands are “extreme” advance negotiations.

Both are along the Atherton Drive corridor. One is at Airport Way and the other is at South Main Street.

The Airport Way site is part of Manteca Crossing that has an approved 55,000 square-foot building as part of its development “designed” to accommodate a supermarket.

The South Main site is part of the Marketplace on Main development involves two large store footprints — one 45,000 square feet and the other is 40,000 square foot.

There are two other commercial development proposals being “shopped’ that are trying to secure supermarkets.

One is Union Crossing on Atherton Drive and Union Road where Living Spaces is located.

Another is a center proposed on the southwest corner of Louise Avenue and Airport Way. Plans for that commercial endeavor are being reviewed by the city.

The last new supermarket to open in Manteca was when Food-4-Less opened 24 years ago in the Spreckels Marketplace at Yosemite and Spreckels avenues.

Manteca had 50,564 residents at the time. Today, Manteca is approaching 92,000 residents.

Back in 2000, the industry standard assumed a community could support one full-service supermarket per 12,000 residents.
Manteca had five supermarkets when Food-4-Less opened but two of them — Big Boy Market that is now Grocery Outlet as well as Low’s Rancho Market — were much smaller than the two SaveMart stores and the Safeway store.

Since then the grocery world has changed.

 Walmart, which did not sell groceries to the degree it does today, currently accounts for 23.6 percent of all grocery sales nationally.

Costco, that didn’t open in Manteca until 2008, is the nation’s second largest grocery retailer by volume.

Target has also stepped up its grocery sales.

At the same time, online grocery shopping has increased.

Currently, Manteca’s growth and huge gains in  household income have created what many commercial sector experts believe is an ideal situation for additional supermarkets to thrive in Manteca.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com