New Seasons Market announced design plans for its Mercer Island location on Monday, including updates to expand gathering spaces, enhance the produce and meat/seafood departments and reduce the environmental impact of the store’s day-to-day operations.

The Portland-based grocer plans to hire 150 employees for the location, its first in the Puget Sound area. New Seasons is on track to open this fall, taking over the space of the old Albertsons at 2755 77th Ave. SE.

Construction begins later this month on exterior enhancements, including a large outdoor patio lounge seating area, rooftop solar panels expected to produce enough energy to off-set the power requirements for exterior signage, three high-speed electric car charging stations and an on-site composting system.

“It’s hard to contain our excitement about this store,” said President and CEO Wendy Collie in a statement. “We’ve talked with local neighbors about what they’re looking for and will be customizing the space inside and out to reflect their needs, and include more of what’s fresh, local and delicious.”

New Seasons set up informational tents at the Farmers Market last summer and during the Art UnCorked event last fall to talk to Islanders.

It also plans to open a store in Ballard by fall 2017.

New Seasons will host a job fair this summer to help fill 150 new positions. A similar event it hosted in Oregon attracted more than 1,000 candidates for 80 open positions.

“Applicants are attracted by the company’s long-standing reputation as progressive employer,” according to a statement from the company.

But New Seasons has attracted criticism in the Seattle area for being “anti-union,” and members of the former “Bring PCC to Mercer Island” group cited the community benefits of unionized grocers, such as Albertsons, Metropolitan Market and PCC, in their appeals to bring a co-op store to the community.

The Mercer Island City Council considered passing a “grocery workers retention ordinance” to keep the union-represented, former Albertsons workers employed at New Seasons, but ultimately decided against it.

In a statement, New Seasons emphasized its “open caring culture that empowers its people and encourages engagement.”

The company offers comprehensive health benefits for all staff working a minimum of 30 hours per week (including benefits for partners and dependents), flexible and predictable work schedules, a 20 percent store-wide discount, a profit share program and access to the Acorn Fund, which allows staff to invest up to 50 percent of their profit share back into the company’s growth. New Seasons is the world’s first certified B Corp grocer.

“Integral to our business philosophy — embedded in our DNA since our founding — is the idea that our staff is our most important stakeholder. Our success as a company is in their hands; they are our competitive advantage, our ‘secret sauce,’” Collie said. “That’s why we’re playing a leadership role in the discussion about Oregon minimum wages, working behind the scenes, convening with progressive businesses to join us in becoming part of the solution.”

Like all New Seasons, the Mercer Island location will feature an inviting indoor dining area as well as expanded local and organic produce selections, along with sustainably raised meats and seafood.

It will also have an extensive deli department with abundant in-house New Seasons chef-prepared foods, bountiful fair-trade and local floral, artisan cheeses and a sandwich shop, a certified organic and Non-GMO Project Verified in-house bakery, distinctive home goods and gifts created by local artisans and a natural wellness section.