Walls are going up at the southwest corner of Alder Creek Parkway and East Bidwell Street. The site covers more than 12 acres and will hold a 95,000-square-foot retail center called Alder Creek Marketplace. It sits right next to The Shops at Folsom Ranch, the center where a lot of people south of Highway 50 already pick up pizza, coffee and their pets' vaccines.
Most headlines have focused on the Safeway. In its November 4 report, Folsom Times described it as the first full-service grocery store in Folsom Ranch, for residents who now drive north of Highway 50 or to other parts of Folsom for groceries. The rest of the tenant list is the bigger story. It has two banks, a dental operator, a Pilates studio, a wellness clinic, a nail salon and four restaurants. Most of them don't duplicate what's already open across the parking lot. They fill in the gaps. Put the two centers together and one intersection starts to cover most of a household's weekly errands.
The grocery store took the longest
Most of the wait came before any construction started, while the developer was still signing the grocer.
| When | What was reported |
|---|---|
| March 20, 2024 | The Folsom Planning Commission approves Alder Creek Marketplace. A grocer has signed a letter of intent, and the developer hopes for a signed lease by the end of 2024 and construction in 2025. |
| October 31, 2025 | Safeway is announced as the anchor. Construction is expected to start within about a week, and the first openings are targeted for the first half of 2027. |
| November 4, 2026 | The walls are up and crews are on site. The first tenants are still expected in the first half of 2027. |
ABC10 reported the approval. At that point Josh Rupert of Hunter Properties said a grocery company had signed a letter of intent and its name would come out once a lease was signed, which the company hoped would happen by the end of 2024. The parcel covers 15 acres gross, with 12.1 acres buildable. The Safeway announcement came in late October 2025, about ten months after that target. Folsom Times reported then that more than 80% of the center was leased or in active negotiations, and named DesCor Builders as general contractor and LPAS Architecture + Design as architect.
The first openings are still targeted for the first half of 2027, the same window given when Safeway signed a little over a year ago. Several dates are still open. Safeway hasn't given an opening date of its own, and Folsom Times noted that businesses may open on different schedules as each one finishes its interior work.
What the other 10 tenants cover
The Safeway will be 55,000 square feet with a fuel station, more than half of the center's planned retail space. Folsom Times counts 11 announced businesses, Safeway included, plus the fuel station. Grouped by errand, they look like this:
Food
- Chipotle Mexican Grill, the chain's third Folsom location, at about 2,521 square feet, expected in 2027
- Jersey Mike's Subs
- Paris Baguette, a bakery-cafe with pastries, sandwiches and coffee
- MOD Pizza, with build-your-own pizzas and salads
Banking
- SAFE Credit Union, which is based in Folsom. Its branch will be about 3,619 square feet, it expects to open in spring 2027, and the design will look like SAFE's recently opened Granite Bay branch.
- BMO, listed in the center's latest promotional materials
Fitness, health and personal care
- Jetset Pilates, a Miami Beach-based franchise teaching instructor-led reformer classes. At about 2,038 square feet, it will be the brand's first studio in the immediate Folsom market.
- Next Health, which offers IV therapy and other wellness and recovery services
- Pacific Dental Services, which supports dental practices
- Nail Chateau II, a second location for a salon operator already at The Shops at Folsom Ranch
Several of these tenants serve regular, repeat visits. Folsom Times reported that SAFE is building the branch to keep up with residential growth south of Highway 50. Its other Folsom branch is at Broadstone Marketplace, near its headquarters. Pilates classes, dental cleanings and nail appointments all recur on a schedule. The site plan reflects that kind of use. It includes four drive-thru restaurant pads, about 389 parking spaces, DC fast chargers for electric vehicles, and outdoor gathering areas.
The center is close to full. Earlier marketing materials showed only three spaces left, two of about 4,500 square feet and one of 1,240 square feet, and Folsom Times said more tenant announcements could come as construction finishes.
Next door, The Shops at Folsom Ranch already covers the basics
The same developer built both centers. Cupertino-based Hunter Partners developed The Shops at Folsom Ranch, and Alder Creek Marketplace extends the commercial strip along East Bidwell Street and Alder Creek Parkway. In October 2025, Folsom Times reported that The Shops had reached full occupancy when a Golden 1 Credit Union branch opened. That branch joined Slice House, Bento Box, Starbucks, The Habit Burger Grill, Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, Chevron, Nail Resort and a veterinary hospital.
Slice House lists its location as 3210 E. Bidwell St., Suite 100. Folsom Ranch Veterinary Hospital lists 3260 E. Bidwell St. and is open seven days a week. Golden 1's branch is at 3230 East Bidwell Street, Suite 140.
Here's how the two lineups fit together.
| Errand | At The Shops at Folsom Ranch, per the October 2025 lineup | Planned at Alder Creek Marketplace |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries | None | Safeway, 55,000 sq ft |
| Fuel | Chevron | Safeway fuel station |
| Banking | Golden 1 Credit Union | SAFE Credit Union, BMO |
| Quick meals | Slice House, Bento Box, The Habit, Capriotti's | Chipotle, Jersey Mike's, MOD Pizza |
| Coffee and bakery | Starbucks | Paris Baguette |
| Nails | Nail Resort | Nail Chateau II |
| Health and fitness | Veterinary hospital | Jetset Pilates, Next Health, Pacific Dental Services |
The first center covered quick meals and a fill-up. The second adds the grocery run, a second and third bank, and the recurring appointments. Once both are open, one corner will have three financial institutions, two fuel stations and seven quick-service food options. The nearby medical projects follow the same pattern. Folsom Times mentions the UC Davis Health facility in Folsom Ranch and a future Dignity Health hospital campus south of Highway 50, both along the East Bidwell Street corridor. Our earlier look at how the Folsom Ranch master plan could shape the area covers the planning side.
Construction in Folsom Ranch often runs well ahead of opening day. We covered the same gap with Jackrabbit Hill Park, which has a name but isn't expected to open until 2028. Alder Creek Marketplace is much further along. Folsom Times reports that the buildings are rising now, and each tenant still has to finish its interior before opening.
Until 2027, the weekly shop still means crossing Highway 50
For the next several months, groceries and plenty of meals out will still mean driving north on East Bidwell. That stretch has a few new stops this fall.
- The Breakfast Club at Midtown opened at 2750 E. Bidwell St., Suite 100, in Broadstone Marketplace. Its hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
- DQ Hawaiian BBQ opened two doors down at 2770 E. Bidwell St., Suite 400, in the former Chick-N-Burger space.
- Roku Japanese Cuisine started a soft opening on Monday, Nov. 2, at 1009 E. Bidwell St. in Willow Creek Town Center. It serves sushi, ramen and other Japanese dishes.
Folsom Times' Bill Sullivan reported all three in early November. Our earlier post on the restaurant shuffle reshaping Folsom follows the turnover along these same shopping corridors. Broadstone is where the SAFE branch that Alder Creek will join already operates.
Once Alder Creek Marketplace opens in 2027, that drive north becomes optional for more errands. A household could fill the tank, buy groceries, stop at the bank, grab a Chipotle bowl, and make a Pilates class or dental appointment without leaving the corner of Alder Creek Parkway and East Bidwell. Folsom Times reports that the first tenants are expected in the first half of 2027 and SAFE Credit Union is aiming for spring.
If you own a home in Folsom Ranch and want to know how a grocery store a short drive away might affect what buyers notice about your street, The Friedrich Team can walk you through it with recent sales nearby. Start with a free home valuation, and we'll keep tracking Alder Creek Marketplace as its tenants open.
