Does Albany need a new Safeway? And, if so, Albany, how big do you want it?

I live on Neilson St., about a block from Safeway. While I share concerns about traffic and disruption during construction, I am more concerned about the possibility of losing the store entirely if we drive them away. When I first moved to Albany in the 80's the Safeway lot was filled to capacity throughout the day. These days it is more often half full. It appears that the store as it stands is not nearly as competitive as it used to be. The trend is toward larger grocery stores in order to be competitive. I don't know exactly how small a store Safeway is willing to build. But I am reluctant to play chicken with them at the planning and zoning level to find out. It is important to retain a neighborhood resource like Safeway on Solano. Equivalent resources are a long distance away from this site. The neighborhood would miss Safeway if it decides to close. A store at this location is an encouragement for walking and biking instead of driving to shop.

Doubtlessly some immediate neighbors will feel worse off if a larger store is built no matter what concessions and adjustments Safeway makes. I don't know if there is an answer to this dilemma. Perhaps Safeway might offer to buy them out? The important thing is to thoroughly hear everyone out and follow standard planning and zoning procedures.

Tony Caine

I also like the idea of having a Safeway within city limits and appreciate what the company is planning to encourage bicycle and pedestrian access to the store. But P&Z Commissioner Andrea Gardner's Andronico's comparison (13,000 vs 54,000 sq ft) demonstrates that the remodel is too big. I'd like them to stay, but I think the size needs to be scaled down. And we can't destroy the small businesses on Solano, whose owners we all know personally. There is a place for a better Safeway, but this is overkill.

I hear Albany could have a Whole Foods at some point. Would that be the nail in Safeway's coffin? Or is it a totally different customer base? From what I've heard a lot of people in Albany do their shopping at Trader Joe's. I wonder what kind of effect that's had on Safeway.

I believe that the residents’ concerns about vehicular and delivery traffic are salient and we should continue to address them to find a resolution that most will find accommodating. However I find the notion that a larger Safeway would hurt small businesses is perhaps unfounded.
Solano Safeway currently has a deli and floral department which it plans to expand and run more efficiently. I could see where this might lead to minimal impact to few businesses along Solano but I have seen no real data to presented support widespread negative impact. Safeway also plans to add a bakery and butcher/fresh fish department. Albany currently has no butcher or fresh fish shops in Albany. As for bakeries the only business close is Butter Cream on San Pablo Ave which makes delicious pastries and cupcakes (the chocolate chip lemon scones are heavenly by the way). To my knowledge they don’t sell sheet cakes, fruit cakes or pies. For these we must travel outside of Albany and spend our money to support other cities economies.

There are a few facts missing in your story as well. First the proposed Safeway is going to be a LEED gold building. LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system. Secondly the Safeway project could add as much as $200,000 into Albany’s public art fund. I would be interested to find out if an expanded Safeway would represent to possibility of jobs for local residents and youth. Finally Safeway has been a good neighbor to Albany. They have served our community since 1929, in their current location since the 1960’s, so they are no Johnny come lately. They have donated to many local organizations and have co-sponsored community events.
So why build such a large store? I can only assume that Safeway wants to draw shoppers from outside of Albany to spend their money in our local economy. If this is a bad thing then I fail to see the point of having a Solano Stroll, hosted by the Solano Avenue Association, to promote businesses on Solano Avenue.
My hope is that Safeway, the residents on Curtis and Madison, and business owners along Solano can come to an equitable solution to this much delayed and much needed project. The alternative is possibly a very large vacant storefront and parking lot.

All these comments have added so much to the story. I really appreciate Brian's observation about the LEED aspect of the planned new building. Also, its history in the neighborhood. I do think this is an issue with at least two sides. I can appreciate that neighbors wouldn't want to deal with noisy and disruptive construction, but as a whole it does seem it could be a draw from outside Albany into the neighborhood.

I did want to add that, though Albany may not have a fish market, there is a fresh fish market right on the Berkeley border -- the Tokyo fish market. We'll have a story out about it in the next week.

I probably have a bias toward buying local and supporting local business in terms of my own habits, but the amount of support large companies can give (via sponsorships and donations) really do give one pause.

Tony, you have had many insightful comments on this issue -- thank you so much. You mentioned it's your impression the local businesses aren't doing all that well. I wonder what kind of data is available on that. (Other than anecdotal stories.) It would be interesting to hear about the state of finances from our local entrepreneurs.

These are all important observations and questions. I think it's crucial for you and others to bring them up at the next Planning & Zoning meeting at which the Safeway remodel will be discussed. The P&Z Commission should hear a variety of opinions from Albany residents.

On the topic of Safeway's proposal to build a LEED building, and the proposal to build a Whole Foods down on San Pablo, Safeway has been rated about twice as green across all aspects of the business than Whole Foods. See http://www.ceres.org/Document.Doc?id=388

I would like to mention that I have a hard time spending my money in Albany unless I am in need of a manicure, there is not much to actually "purchase", except for food.
I feel like Albany as a whole never had a cohesive plan for Solano Ave. Other cities have plans and incentives to attract good businesses, and they have a stake in making sure they work. The newer Safeway is needed and would only be an asset, but of course it must look and feel right. It sounds like it is something our town should embrace. We can have something new and not destroy our small town feeling!

Solano is an ecosystem, with a variety of "microclimates." Solano west of the BART is very different from BART to Santa Fe. The section that the Safeway is in has its own flavor. I would worry about the traffic flow (and have a 4th grader at Marin, though she doesn't have to cross Marin Ave. to get to school), but I think on balance we'd benefit from a revamped Safeway. Though if I were allowed to wave a wand and redesign it, I'd leave a wide swath of patio and trees between it and the street... there's too little shaded pedestrian space the length of Solano.

Another thought, re business on Solano... I think there's every indication that the USPS will close (or, as they call it, "consolidate") Landscape station. That's half the reason I walk up Solano, rather than down it (to the Albany PO, which which had been remodeling when I was shopping for a PO box); if Landscape does close, we ought to send some smiling folks from the CofC to stand around the PO handing out maps to our end of Solano, as an alternative to the PO box customers trudging east through the tunnel to migrate to the Shattuck station.

Nancy,
Unless I need medication , yarn (and I don't know many knitters), or a toy for a rare birthday party, there is no reason for me to walk down Solano Ave to "shop". The restaurants are abundant, but that's about all. I invite you to take a trip to other Cities with downtowns and shop. There are a slew on your way up to Calistoga, or even Benicia's first street offer's actual downtown shopping.
What people on here are trying to say is there isn't much on the Albany side of Solano that is going to be "hurt" by an expanded Safeway. Albany's Solano "shopping" has left a lot to be desired for some time now. Nail shops aren't sustaining our tax revenue. We are a cute town, we can do better. I welcome an expanded (and even larger) Safeway if it will ramp up our business base, attract out of town shoppers to spend their money, and revive Solano. I feel for those who live on one of the adjacent streets, but you all knew Safeway was there when you bought, you live 1/2 block off Solano, you had to know there would be traffic and parking on your street.

The expanded Safeway will at least bring shoppers from nearby cities to spend their dollars in Albany. Something that is not happening much now due to the bunk selection of "shopping" Solano has to offer currently.I can't believe you still have to ask what shopping gaps need to be filled.
I get the neighbors objections of the 18 wheelers etc. Someone close to me lives down from the CVS (formerly Longs) and yes, 18 wheelers go down the street, but it's not all day every day and it's not as bad as some may think. Small annoyance really. The trade off is there is a nice well kept drugstore/market there now instead of the once Salvation Army that had piles of junk all over the back parking lot as well as scavengers all night. Sometimes you have to give to get.... ya know??

I've my own biases, e.g., there are stores on Solano that I'm astonished to realize they're there, as I've never looked... my view of Solano comes from regularly walking the stretch from Curtis on up to the top, and from the Library on up less often, from being a parent, and a work-at-home entrepreneur. But any of the Albany stretches I cover don't see the lively people traffic you see up in the long block from Colusa up to the Alameda, caused by the critical mass of a bunch of places people go often. The impending addition of iScream will likely add to that; the departure of the new beauty store won't likely hurt it (why a second one? and why launch and then fold it within months?). Somewhat surprised to see plans for a Goodwill retail store where the dance studio has been gone for many years; more changes will ensue if Landscape PO closes.

One thing I miss: a place for casual coffee and business meetings. Sunny Side closes at 3pm, and many's the time I'd wanted to meet with someone, and had pick somewhere like Farine or the Starbucks. If I more frequented "lower Solano" there are places, I'm sure, but if the new Safeway has a cafe akin to what the Oakland Whole Foods has, it'd be great for that... that store (albeit ginormous) is a great hub for people traffic in what would otherwise be a rather sparse Oakland landscape.

It seems to me there are two related but nonetheless distinct threads going in this discussion: the Safeway remodel, and the general state of lower Solano as a shopping district. Perhaps the latter deserves its own article or Letter to the Editor to carry it forward.

First I think it is worth reiterating that currently, the pathetic Safeway is the only grocery store in this city of 17,000. That in itself is kind of appalling. Many Albanians spend their money in another county even (Lucky or Kensington Market) rather then go there. Yes, neighbor concerns must be addressed, but community values seem to me to suggest that neighbors also need to be willing to "take one for the team" as it were. We all deserve a good grocery store. That's basic. I also agree with previous comments that a Safeway that brings more Albanians (and north Berkelians?) to Solano definitely provides a stimulus for improvement of the whole shopping district, something for which there is much room (thread #2).

Thanks for the clarification Nancy=)
I get what you are asking now. And, I agree, I don't think a new improved Safeway will fill any current shopping gaps. My hope is that it will bring in outside customers, thus increasing more revenue for the City. As Ross also pointed out, possibly revamp that area as well. As of right now I don't frequent the "middle or lower" end of Solano as I have no needs to be met there. I love Sunnyside Cafe as well, but only eat out a handful of times a year. I would happily split my grocery shopping between El Cerrito's Trader Joes and a new Safeway that has more to offer than currently. Sadly right now I just avoid it. The Selection is poor and the parking lot a nightmare!
If it turns out like Ross mentioned, a cafe area would be lovely to visit!
I've also enjoyed our exchange. I believe if we work together and listen to each other, this can become something everyone is happy with in the end.

The Traffic and Safety Commission has been working with Safeway to plan an effective, safe traffic pattern.
My personal preference is for a new Safeway at the sidewalk to close one more dead zone in the streetscape. Size is not so much of a concern because by next July I will have heard 40 years of "No. It's too big." It's the most common, easily made argument against redevelopment, and in the long term it doesn't hold up at this scale. They are not trying to build Costco or Walmart on Solano. It's a medium sized Safeway store.
I have read the arguments against redevelopment and I see the same arguments that were used against Target. None of the horrible predictions came true then, and there is no reason they should do so for Safeway now.
Safeway has been a good supportive neighbor since its first days in Albany. We should be encouraging them to continue so.

Safeway is a joke as a grocery shopping destination. If I want a bigger version of it, I would rather have a berkeley bowl or whole foods. If they don't to keep it the same size, they should get the hell out and have trader joes go in there. A trader joes would be so much better over there.