The front exterior of the former Rite Aid, planned to be renovated into a Ukiah Bowl, on Gobbi and South State Streets in Ukiah, Calif., on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Savana Robinson/Bay City News) UKIAH, CA.
— Sometime next year, Ukiah could have a new bowling alley and entertainment center at the site of the old Rite Aid building near downtown.
The nearly 17,500-square-foot former Rite Aid on Gobbi and South State streets has sat empty since last year, and Ukiah hasn’t had a bowling alley since 2019. Ukiah Bowl LLC, owned by Ukiah resident Steve DeLucia, was granted a permit at a city zoning administrator meeting on June 3 to transform the existing structure into a "twelve-lane bowling-anchored social venue with complementary entertainment, dining and recreation uses." Besides 12 bowling lanes, Ukiah Bowl would have a bar, gaming area, reservable party rooms, a private karaoke room and a supervised soft play area for children, according to the permit application.
DeLucia said the next steps are to map out the building plans in detail for the project’s building permit submission to the city. "Next, all the building plans," DeLucia said.
"Where’s every pipe, wire, wall, fixture? Figuring out all the guts and the details of the building is the main focus at this point." The exterior of the building isn’t planned to change much, besides adding a door where the pharmacy used to be.
Six parking spots would be added to the parking lot. Inside, however, is where major renovations are planned.
The east side inside the former Rite Aid building on Gobbi and South State Streets is in the planning phase of being renovated into a bowling alley in Ukiah, Calif., on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Savana Robinson/Bay City News) "The floor, the roof and the walls are staying where they are," DeLucia said.
"Pretty much everything inside that changes to some degree. Even the restrooms will be in the same place to make use of that plumbing, but they’ll be expanded and rebuilt." DeLucia’s ambition is to open the bowling alley, to be called Ukiah Bowl, sometime in 2027.
The project has made progress, he said. "I have no doubts that we can get it open, but that’s just to say nothing’s guaranteed till you’re able to roll that ball down the lane."