On November 15, Safeway will host a public meeting about the upcoming remodel of the La Playa/Ocean Beach location.
As we mentioned earlier this week, Safeway recently launched a website dedicated to the project which also includes an “Existing Safeway Store” area of the site where neighbors can monitor the current store’s updates and report issues like graffiti and loitering.
The site reports that new security cameras were recently installed at the back of the store and guard coverage increased, which has led to a decrease in the amount of loitering and littering.
The November 15 meeting will be held at the Great Hall at the San Francisco Zoo from 7pm until 9pm (free parking nearby).
At the meeting, Safeway will share the latest plans for the store’s redesign. Safeway Project Manager Natalie Mattei told me in an email earlier this week that the original design had to be scrapped because it was incompatible with the surrounding residences.
Neighbors adjacent to the store were very concerned about the increased height and footprint of the initial design. The neighbors on 48th Avenue, which borders the east side of the store, worried they would lose light and views with the new design.
In the announcement email for the November 15 meeting, Mattei described a new 3-D model they’re using to present the latest designs to neighbors:
Our architect is now using a three-dimensional (3-D) design model that allows us to evaluate alternatives from a “neighbor’s eye” point of view. The model makes it easier to understand building height rather than the two-dimensional drawings we used in the past.
If you plan to attend the November 15 meeting, please RSVP to natalie.mattei@safeway.com.
Sarah B.
Can someone explain to me about the views that will be lost along 48th Avenue between Cabrillo and Fulton? I live at 48th and Balboa and I AVOID that block because the scenery consists of the Safeway parking lot and a brick wall. If you’re on the third floor or above, which most of the buildings in that block are NOT, sure, you’d lose a view of the condos and ocean, but on the first and second floors, what are they talking about?
@Annie: I think it had to do with the original design taking up the entire existing lot (rather than having some parking area on the west and south side). Loss of light etc. You can read more about it in the story from January:
https://richmondsfblog.com/2010/01/20/safeway-shares-plans-for-la-playa-store-expansion/
Sarah B.