When completed, the Walgreens at 3001 Foothill Blvd. will be the 511th location in California, which trails just three states in number of Walgreens drug stores. Florida, with its 762 Walgreens, leads the pack followed by Texas with 614 and Illinois, which has 539.
The Deerfield, Ill.-based company has a stated goal of building more than 7,000 stores by 2010, officials said.
The project had been beset by delays since Rich Development, the San Pedro-based firm overseeing the project, approached the Crescenta Valley Town Council in 2002 with plans to build the store at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Ramsdell Avenue.
In 2003 and again in 2005, the Town Council signed off on the plans, but were left in the dark by development officials who were forced to push back plans.
“It’s taking too long,” said Sharon Raghavachary, who was vice president of the Crescenta Valley Town Council in 2005. “They’re slow, but it’s nice to see that corner not be a vacant lot.”
Rich Development bought the land, which had eateries on it, from Vincent Dundee in October 2005 for $2.9 million, according to the Los Angeles County Assessor’s office.
When completed, the Spanish-themed building will feature a patio cover on one side with a colonnade of vines and drive-through, Raghavachary said.
Though she praised the design as “not just another plain old box,” Raghavachary questioned the need for another drug store on Foothill Boulevard.
Five blocks east of the future drug store is a Rite-Aid Pharmacy and a half-mile down the street is the 50-year-old La Crescenta Pharmacy.
Others wondered whether Walgreens, the nation’s second-largest drugstore, will be a good fit for Foothill Boulevard amid a slew of independently owned shops and at least two large chain stores in the immediate vicinity.
“It’s not a good idea to come to this town,” said Afif Siman, manager at Christie’s Liquor Market across the street. “It’s going to take away business from the mom-and-pop stores. They should make a park or something for all the families of La Crescenta.”
