CALDWELL, Idaho — A lot off of Karcher Road in Caldwell will soon be home to a new Albertsons, offering South Caldwell residents a closer grocery option than what is currently available.
WATCH | South Caldwell neighbors prepare for first chain grocer
For some neighbors in the area, getting groceries means a commute. Kim Mitchell, a stay-at-home mom of two and a longtime Albertsons customer, said the new store will be close to her home.
"Walmart is just down the road but it's kinda picked over,"
Mitchell said the nearest grocery option, Walmart, presents challenges.
She currently travels to Nampa for groceries. The closest Albertsons in Caldwell is another 10 to 12 minutes, and with two kids and busy streets in the heart of Caldwell, it's just not worth the drive.
To get a sense of the commute South Caldwell neighbors face, I timed the drive from the lot where the new store will be built near Karcher Road to the closest Walmart at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
For me to get to the closest Walmart, it took a little over 8 minutes, but to the nearest chain grocer, it was much longer.
The drive to the Blaine Street Albertsons took nearly 16 minutes.
And to make matters worse, this is only from the lot on Karcher, not from South Caldwell homes any further than where I was.
Neighbors on the 2C Facebook page raised concerns about Albertsons' pricing. Others echoed Mitchell's excitement about having a neighborhood store closer to home.
According to the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho, Caldwell has an estimated population of nearly 83,000, meaning new stores are needed to fill bellies.
The new 60,000-square-foot store is set to open in the fall of 2027.
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