There was good news on the local economic front this week. Ground was broken for Grand Ridge Plaza, a 25-acre complex of shopping, restaurants and entertainment.

Residents in the Highlands should be trilled.

As reported in the Reporter today by staff writer Celeste Gracey, Regency Centers will open a 12-screen Regal theater along with a number of sit-down restaurants – and have all of it in place by next summer. A Safeway grocery store will follow in November.

All-in-all, there will be about 225,000 square feet of retail space added to the Highlands: a gas station, clothing stores, boutiques – things that by their very nature make life a little easier and convenient.

New developments always require a balance of developers’ wants and residents’ needs. Regency Centers looks as if it has found the right amount of each.

– Craig Groshart, Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter