Supervisor tries to avert San Francisco Safeway store closure
SAN FRANCISCO - A San Francisco supervisor is taking action to preserve a four-decade-old Safeway store in the Fillmore District.
A spokesperson for the grocery retailer previously confirmed plans to close the Safeway location at Webster Plaza and sell the lot to Align Real Estate, which plans to build a mixed-use development at the site.
The store is slated to close in March.
Supervisor Dean Preston, representing the district where the Safeway store is situated, expressed concerns about the store's closure and its potential impact on residents.
"We are extremely concerned with the potential loss of this grocery store in the heart of the Fillmore, and especially the possibility of losing it as soon as March, which we view as unacceptable. We welcome housing development on this large surface-level parking lot, but this should not be an either/or situation," he told KTVU.
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Longtime Safeway store closing in Santa Clara
A longtime Safeway store will soon close in Santa Clara.
Preston has since introduced a resolution urging Safeway to reconsider its plan to close the store.
Community leaders argue that the closure would adversely affect hundreds of seniors residing in nearby affordable housing complexes.
Safeway claims that the closure is intended to "positively impact" the San Francisco community and address the city's housing shortages, since the developer wants to put mixed-use development there.
Preston wants the supermarket chain to collaborate with residents and the city to develop a plan for the site that prioritizes community needs over housing development.
The full board of supervisors is set to vote on Preston's resolution in two weeks.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Safeway Webster Street location has faced controversy, including the closure of self-checkout kiosks last year to combat theft and playing classical music to deter loitering in the parking lot.