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San Francisco Safeway store in Fillmore will remain open — for now

By Aja Seldon
Published  January 22, 2024 2:40pm PST
San Francisco
KTVU FOX 2

San Francisco Safeway to close its doors after 40 years

A Safeway store that stood and ran in San Francisco's Fillmore District plans to shutter its doors in the coming months after operating for 40 years. Plans are in motion on what the place will become.

SAN FRANCISCO - The imminent closure of a Safeway store in San Francisco's Fillmore neighborhood is now on pause after a public outcry.

Mayor London Breed announced Monday that the Fillmore Safeway location, which has served residents for four decades, will remain open until 2025. It had been scheduled to close in March. 

Breed said that the city and the supermarket have reached an agreement to keep the Safeway location temporarily open on Webster Street.

"We have decided to extend the closing date to January 2025 to give the community and the City more time to establish a transition plan," Safeway said in a statement.

The grocery company recently sold the lot that the Fillmore Safeway location sits on to Align Real Estate. The real estate company planned to build a mixed-use development at the site.

The decision to keep the Safeway store in the Fillmore is only interim as "future iterations for the site continue to be determined."

Supervisor Dean Preston, whose district includes the Fillmore, had expressed concerns about the store's closure and its potential impact on residents. He issued a resolution urging Safeway to reconsider its plans. The Board of Supervisors was set to vote on the resolution Tuesday.

"As soon as we heard Safeway’s announcement to close in less than 60 days, we said clearly, and unequivocally – not here, not now," said Preston. "I am thankful that Safeway has listened to the hundreds of community members who demanded they reverse plans to close a critical location to so many of our vulnerable community members."

The Safeway location offers an array of essential services to seniors and families in the Fillmore neighborhood, including prescription fulfillment, grocery services, and banking.

With the store's departure on hold for now, the city, Safeway, and Align Real Estate are exploring how best to use the site, including adding housing and a new grocery store to replace the current Safeway.

"I appreciate Safeway for being a good community partner to San Francisco, and their willingness to engage in a collaborative discussion to lift up this neighborhood’s needs now and in the future," said Breed.