We broke ground today on the new downtown Harmons Grocery Store,  to be built at 135 East 100 South in Block 74 of the City Creek Center.

As residential units begin to open downtwon, the new residents will need a place to buy groceries. And this is going to be an amazing place to do just that.

Harmons, one of Utah’s few remaining family-owned and operated grocers, will build a 43,410 square-foot store on the site that will feature Harmons’ signature fresh foods including artisan bread, a carving station with hot entrées, Italian gelato, and a large delicatessen full of freshly-prepared foods. The much anticipated City Creek Harmons will be the only full-service grocery store in Salt Lake City’s central business district.

Bob and Randy Harmon, grandsons of the chain’s founders Jake and Irene Harmon, said their City Creek store will be situated on two levels and will display Harmons’ well-known fresh foods, pharmacy, custom floral department, deli, pizza oven, gourmet cheese island, salad and olive bars, custom meat counter, produce department and other groceries.

Above all that will rise an 18,142 square-foot mezzanine with a credit union, a Tempér gourmet cooking product section and a cooking school. Customers will be able to enjoy eating Harmons’ variety of freshly prepared foods in an upscale seating area with a welcoming fireplace, couches, tables and chairs, and Wi-Fi access.

“We’re so proud and happy to be able to be a part of the City Creek neighborhood and provide fresh foods and essentials for everyone downtown,” said Bob Harmon, co-owner and Harmons’ vice president. “Our new store will be very different looking from the traditional Harmons store. Because we’re in the heart of downtown and surface parking is limited, Harmons will create customer parking above the store like grocers have done in San Francisco or Los Angeles. And, instead of Harmons’ familiar solid brick design, the City Creek store will have expansive glass exteriors, to be in line with downtown ordinances.”

The groundbreaking also featured comments from Bishop H. David Burton, presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker; and Natalie Gochnour, chief economist for the Salt Lake Chamber.  Bishop Burton told how in October 2006, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invited Harmons to build a grocery store for the planned walkable City Creek community, with residences, offices and retail stores that would rise on approximately 20 acres, across three blocks.

“We’re certainly grateful to the LDS Church for seeking our local grocery chain for this opportunity, and we’ve been researching, planning and testing the latest trends in fresh foods, services and processes in the grocery industry since the announcement of this store nearly four years ago,” said Harmon. “We’ve traveled the world in order to bring back the very best ideas and foods to our home state of Utah. We’re also very grateful to the design and construction team — including Okland Construction; Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLC; Prescott Muir Architects; City Creek Reserve, Inc.; MHTN Architects; Spectrum Engineers and Professional Engineering Services — for making our vision for the City Creek store come true over the next year.”

Anticipated completion for the City Creek store is fall 2011. City Creek Harmons will be the local chain’s fifteenth store, just behind a planned Farmington Station location.

More than $5 billion will be spent on downtown construction projects between 2005 and 2012, creating jobs for more than 1,000 construction workers, and pumping an average of $1.6 million into Salt Lake’s economy every day. said Bob Harmon.

“Harmons is doing its part to boost the local economy through the City Creek project,” said Bob Harmon. ” We appreciate the community’s enthusiasm and support of our locally-owned downtown store.”

In 2009, Harmons reported investing more than $63 million in its associates through wages, salaries, benefits and training.

Harmons employs 150 – 200 associates in each of its 13 stores including chefs, butchers, bakers and food experts who prepare Harmons’ signature made-from-scratch foods.

“We train our associates to produce fresh food in our stores,” added Harmon. “And, our customers have told us they appreciate our effort because locally-produced fresh food tastes better and lasts longer than food shipped from a grocery commissary outside of Utah. The Harmons family and our large family of more than 2,400 associates are excited, honored and ready to bring this expertise and commitment to the new City Creek store very soon.”