By Mary O’KEEFE

Crescenta Valley residents are watching the progress of the new Trader Joe’s at 2448 Honolulu Ave. in Montrose.

The building’s design harkens back to the early 20th Century and complements the style of the Montrose Shopping Park. The development is on a lot about 1.1 acres. The land is owned by the city of Glendale. The new store will include a 55-space parking lot that will be located to the east of the building.

The construction currently taking place is on the core and shell of the building with tenant improvements to being in August, according to Elena Bolbolian, project manager for the city of Glendale.

Trader Joe’s has a tradition of being environmentally friendly. This Montrose building will be the first Southern California Trader Joe’s market to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified by the Green Building Council (USGBC).

LEED promotes sustainable building and development practices through a suite of rating systems that recognize projects that implement strategies for better environmental and health performances, according to USGBC.

Some of the green features the Montrose Trader Joe’s market will include are site bio-swales to pervious paving and drought tolerant landscaping. The building will use state-of-the-art lighting and refrigeration equipment. The interior will use natural light, recycled materials and non-toxic paints and finish materials, Bolbolian said.

“We are as excited as the residents and MSP business owners about the market opening. Trader Joe’s opening up a market in Montrose was as a direct result of community outreach efforts in 2007 led by the city where residents and business owners specifically requested a Trader Joe’s market to help anchor the MSP,” Bolbolian said. “During these sluggish economic times, a Trader Joe’s will not only help improve the economy of the MSP, but also the entire city.”

The store is scheduled to open in late fall, early winter. Once the Montrose store is open the La Crescenta store at 3433 Foothill Blvd. will close.  The store manager, or captain, of the La Crescenta store will be relocated to the Montrose store.

In a prepared statement from Trader Joe’s spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki,

“It has been our pleasure to serve the customers in the neighborhood over the past 43 years. Trader Joe’s in La Crescenta was the second Trader Joe’s ever opened, and we did not enter into this decision lightly. We appreciate the welcome we received in La Crescenta and we are hopeful that our loyal customers will continue to visit us in our new location. We are certain that customers will enjoy the customer experience in our new Montrose location. The store is more than double in size as is the parking availability.”

  Leonard Coutin, Mary Okeefe, Trader Joe’s