New tenants confirmed as construction advances at Whitney Ranch Retail Center in Rocklin.
Construction at the future Whitney Ranch Retail Center in Rocklin has reached a new stage — not just on the ground, but on paper.
In a message to Onsite Observer, Callie Huff, entitlements and design manager at Engstrom Properties, said Cole Partners Development Company has signed leases with Jack’s Urban Eats, Poppy Bank and Great Clips — the first round of retail announcements beyond Nugget Market.
Aerial footage captured this week shows steady progress across the site. The Nugget building is nearly enclosed, and framing is underway on two pads at the southwest corner of Whitney Ranch Parkway and University Avenue. Three additional pads along University Avenue have been poured, outlining where the next phase of construction is set to rise.
The City of Rocklin approved the project in April 2024. Groundbreaking followed in October, starting mass grading and utility work across the 18-acre site.
Whitney Ranch Retail is being developed by Cole Partners Development Company in collaboration with Engstrom Properties. City filings show the first phase includes 10 buildings totaling about 94,500 square feet, ranging from shop spaces of roughly 3,000 square feet to larger pads exceeding 14,000 square feet.
Nugget Market will occupy a 44,000-square-foot anchor space on the eastern side of the center, with retail shops flanking it. The western half has been designed for highway-oriented uses — banks, fast food, drive-thru and gas station pads. Nugget Market now lists summer 2026 as its expected opening on its official website.
Once completed, the retail center is expected to serve a large share of the Whitney Ranch community, which has grown steadily over the past two decades and now stretches into the hills west of Rocklin. Much of the residential buildout has occurred without a nearby commercial core, leaving residents to drive farther for grocery and dining options. The retail center is intended to fill that gap and give the neighborhood a daily-service hub for the first time.
