Safeway plan moves forward at Cabrillo, 7th Avenue

Photo: Philip Liborio Gangi

 

by Peter Sciacca

After four years of attending neighborhood meetings, planning and making revisions, Safeway has won approval from the SF Planning Commission to demolish its store at 735 Seventh Ave. to build a new one.

The major condition Safeway agreed to at the December meeting was limiting deliveries from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. All delivery trucks will be required to leave by 9 p.m.

Planning Commissioner Lisa Feldstein asked a Safeway representative about delivery hours shortly after public comment ended.

In the plan it says loading will be limited from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., she said. How long does it take to unload a truck?

About a half hour, said Bruce Qualls, Safeways regional real estate manager.

So really were talking about trucks leaving at 9:30 p.m., Feldstein said.

Thats correct, Qualls said.

After commissioners discussed other aspects of the plan Feldstein recommended ending deliveries by 8:30 p.m.

I would like trucks to be done unloading by 9 p.m. instead of 9:30 p.m., which seems late for a residential neighborhood, she said.

Commissioner Sue Lee went a step further and suggested that deliveries also be restricted to the hours before and after 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Im wondering if we could do this during p.m. peak hours to minimize any impact, she said.

But Qualls urged commissioners to not ban deliveries during the early evening.

What happens when we compress loading hours is it forces us to put our trucks on the road when everyone is commuting home or to work, he said. The more constrained (deliveries) are, the more difficulty and traffic problems our trucks create.

We cant agree to limit our load hours during that time period. If we had a truck coming from Tracy (Safeways regional delivery center) that arrives at 5 p.m. it would sit on the street in the community for two hours.

The commission agreed with Qualls assessment.

Planning Commission Vice President Michael Antonini opposed booting trucks out by 9 p.m.

I dont see why we should do this when we havent received any objections from residents, he said.

Commissioner Kevin Hughes disagreed with Antonini.

I propose having the last deliveries pull out by 9 p.m., he said. This is common at supermarkets in other neighborhoods throughout the city.

Hughes also proposed a condition that would apply to two delivery trucks arriving at the same time.

One of the trucks should have to wait on Fulton Street until the other one leaves, he said.

Zoning Administrator Larry Badiner proposed a simpler version of Hughes idea.

I think we should just state that they cant double park on Eighth Avenue (the side of the store where deliveries would be unloaded), he said. Drivers might waste gas by circling the area but we shouldnt encourage double parking by naming a street where they can wait.

Hughes and the other commissioners agreed to the compromise and the 8:30 p.m. delivery deadline.

During public comment earlier in the meeting Golden Gate Church of Christ Minister Silvano Garcia said he supported the project and offered to assist residents during construction of the new supermarket.

We have had two meetings at our church about this project, he said. The input has been positive. I think this store will be a great addition to our community.

Garcia was specifically pleased that the new Safeway will have a pharmacy.

This is something the neighborhood can use, he said. The elderly and children in our community will benefit the most from this.

Garcia offered to set up a computer lab at his church across the street from the proposed store so Richmond residents can order groceries online during construction. The store will take about a year to build.

Qualls added that Safeway will waive delivery charges for anyone who orders groceries online at Garcias church during construction.

Feldstein asked Qualls what the job status of Safeway employees at the current store will be during construction of the new store.

They will be transferred to other stores in the area during construction, he said. Most will probably go to our store on La Playa near Ocean Beach.

Several public speakers agreed with Garcia that the pharmacy in the new Safeway will be a valuable resource.

The new store, especially the pharmacy, will bring more union jobs into the area, one speaker said.

One thing other speakers havent mentioned is that this pharmacy will fill a void left by the one that closed at Sixth Avenue and Balboa Street, the last public speaker said.

Diana Lee, who lives behind the current store and led a petition drive in favor of the plan said she received a common response among residents.

Out of the more than 400 residents who signed the petition all of them loved that the new store will be modern and carry more products, Lee said. They also appreciated Safeways efforts to keep it small and intimate.

I think the design will be suitable for our neighborhood.

The current Safeway is 44 years old and opened in 1959.

Its tired and not serving the neighborhoods needs, Qualls said at the start of public comment. We set out four years ago to replace this store.

Weve worked with the neighborhood on identifying problems with the existing store, such as traffic, loitering in the parking lot and delivery issues. We think our plan addresses all the problems we identified.

The new Safeway will be about 28,000 square feet, which is about 8,000 square feet larger than the current store. The design will also incorporate about 60 customer parking spaces.