Chipotle, MOD Pizza on track in Warrenton

Aug. 10—WARRENTON — Construction is underway at the North Coast Shops to prepare for the arrival of Chipotle Mexican Grill and MOD Pizza.

The restaurants are set to replace the former Dooger's Seafood and Grill, which is being demolished after a survey revealed that the structure was not viable, Van Wilfinger, the city's building official, said.

Plans for the restaurants were announced years ago but holdups with permitting and city concerns about traffic delayed the projects.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries was originally part of the plans but the chain has since backed out, Mayor Henry Balensifer said.

An eviction dispute between Atlas Investments — the owner of the complex formerly known as Youngs Bay Plaza — and Ross Stores also slowed the addition of new businesses and development, The Astorian previously reported.

Dooger's closed its Warrenton location in 2019 after 15 years. Doug Wiese, the founder of the seafood restaurant, cited difficulties in reaching an extension with Atlas at the time.

As conditional approval for the new restaurants, traffic in and out of the North Coast Shops onto E. Harbor Drive will be right-in, right-out only.

"That intersection has been a key focus of ours for several years, as it has at least one near miss a week and multiple wrecks a year," Balensifer said in a Facebook post.

Pending construction, both restaurants are expected to open around the first of the year, RTG Property Management, the company that manages the North Coast Shops, said in a statement. But weather and supply chain disruptions will dictate the timeline, Wolfinger said.

Several other new tenants are also planning to join the shopping center, the property manager said, and will be announced in the near future.