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Marina Style Active Safeways in Berkeley to be demolished

Posted: 21 Jun 2007 13:53
by mitchbart
It looks like the last three active Marina style Safeways in the "Berkeley, CA area" are going to be demolished and rebuilt as larger Lifestyle stores.

I say Berkeley area because only one is actually in Berkeley. The stores are:

1444 Shuttack Place, Berkeley - replacement may include residential component (apartments/condos).

6310 College Avenue, Oakland - actually in the Rockridge section of Oakland, the Berkeley city limit is directly behind the store.

1500 Solano Avenue, Albany - Berkeley city limit is within a block of the store. replacement may include residential component (apartments/condos).

Safeway is hosting two public meetings tonight at 7pm, June 21, 2007 to get Community input. The College Ave store meeting is at the Rockridge Presbyterian Church, 5951 College Avenue, Oakland. I believe this meeting will also cover the remodeling the non-Marina Safeway in the Rockridge Shopping (5130 Broadway, Oakland) Center into a "Lifestyle" store.

I don't know the location of the Albany meeting - also tonight I believe.

The Shattuck Place store meeting already took place - most objections voiced concerned the density of the residential component.

MB

Posted: 21 Jun 2007 14:38
by Groceteria
Sad news indeed.

I'm going to move this into the history forum since it concerns specific older stores.

Posted: 21 Jun 2007 15:55
by TheStranger
What's specifically planned for the Oakland location? So far, two of the active SF Marinas (Marina Boulevard and Mission Street) got lifestyle remodels within the existing marina structures, while the false-ceiling Market Street flagship store has not received a new decor package since 98.

Posted: 21 Jun 2007 16:03
by mitchbart
The sign in the window of the College Avenue Oakland store announcing the Public Meeting specifically states "demolish". I will know more after the meeting tonight.

MB

Marina Safeways in Berkeley Area

Posted: 22 Jun 2007 02:34
by Jason B.
I've heard that the Albany-Solano Ave. and Oakland-College Ave. Marina Safeways were constructed in those locations near Berkeley city limits because Berkeley had some sort of "hours of service" limitation in the 1950s or '60s. The stores could have longer hours in Albany and Oakland. I've never been able to confirm this story.

Assuming that these Safeways are demolished, that would leave the current Berkeley Bowl in southern Berkeley as the last surviving Safeway Marina building in the Berkeley area. I believe that Safeway closed in 1995. After renovation, the Berkeley Bowl (an independent grocer that specializes in produce) re-located to the former Safeway in 1999.

The current Marina Safeway on Shattuck Avenue is in what's now known as the "Gourmet Ghetto." Chez Panisse, among other high-end restaurants, is located nearby. Across the street from the Safeway is a former Lucky (now a Longs Drugs) with a pylon sign. (A photo of that Lucky used to be on this website.) The Shattuck Ave. Safeway has a large planter outside that resembles a water well -- a plaque nearby explains the historical significance (as I recall, a community water well was located there in Berkeley's early days). I wonder if that marker will survive in some form in the new Safeway. Shattuck Ave. Safeway also must be among the few Marina Safeways that has a parking garage beneath it.

Posted: 22 Jun 2007 02:40
by mitchbart
Update:

The Safeway representative appeared at the Town Hall meeting of the Rockridge Community Planning Council to discuss the College Avenue Marina store site.

They are "considering" demolishing and rebuilding the College Avenue store on the site which they own. The current store is less than 23,000 square feet. They do not have plans as yet. They wanted "early" input.

Oakland/Berkeley residents can be brutal on chain stores and land use issues when it reaches the Design Review process. I suppose they wanted to head off potential issues with early input. They are thinking about the 2009/10 time frame for demo and rebuild.

They even set up a website:

http://www.safewayoncollege.com

to facilitate communications with the community - the Safeway representative said this is the first time the company has created a website for community communications about a specific store rebuild/remodel.

On a related historical note one of the community members requested Safeway to re-lease and reopen the store at 5354 Claremont Avenue, Oakland. This is a late 1950's early 1960's design not a true Marina - it has wings but a pitched roof in the middle. This store closed over 30 years ago, is less that 3/4 of a mile from the College Avenue store in question and has been used as offices and vacant much of the last 30+ years - it currently used as a dialysis center. Clearly, it is NOT likely Safeway would consider reopening at that location.

MB

Posted: 22 Jun 2007 03:04
by mitchbart
P.S.

I noticed Safeway also set up community input websites for the Solano, Albany and the Shattuck, Berkeley rebuilds.

Shattuck: http://www.safewayonshattuck.com

Solano: http://www.safewayonsolano.com

MB

Posted: 22 Jun 2007 04:41
by TheStranger
Mitchbart: I know the Claremont location you were referring to, that's in the "gable" architecture (similar to marina except for the roof shape); it actually has better access to Route 24 than the Oakland marina. There's also another closed gable down towards Foothill Boulevard, south of the Lake Merritt area...

If all three locations are demolished, the nearest active marinas would be in Orinda (false-ceiling, false-front) and in Pinole (same deal); nearest active true-roof location would probably be in Martinez.

Re: Marina Style Active Safeways in Berkeley to be demolished

Posted: 13 Jun 2008 13:57
by Jason B.
The design for the replacement of the College Avenue Safeway in Oakland near the Berkeley-Oakland city boundary continues to evolve. A community meeting will be held on June 19, 2008. The existing store and the service station at the intersection of College & Claremont avenues would be demolished. The latest concept for the exterior of the new Safeway store is one that resembles a downtown streetscape rather than a "big box" in a parking lot. The architectural plans seem to refer to this concept as "Lifestyle Elite." As best as I can tell, the Safeway store would be on the second level. Parking and some retail stores would be on the first or ground level. Delivery trucks would be concealed behind roll-down doors. See: http://www.safewayoncollege.com/id2.html

Re: Marina Style Active Safeways in Berkeley to be demolished

Posted: 13 Jun 2008 16:38
by romleys
I will try to go to this meeting for what its worth...

Re: Marina Style Active Safeways in Berkeley to be demolished

Posted: 14 Jun 2008 01:25
by buckhead
Jason B. wrote:... The existing store and the service station at the intersection of College & Claremont avenues would be demolished.... See: http://www.safewayoncollege.com/id2.html
And yet another Union 76 Ball will die, too? This is doubly sad.

Re: Marina Style Active Safeways in Berkeley to be demolished

Posted: 20 Jun 2008 00:37
by mitchbart
It looks like all the replacement design for all three stores mentioned on my original post have evolved into an "Urban Lifestyle" concept. All have street facing designs with all parking under the store (at street level). Small leased retail and Safeway entrance elevator lobbies face the main pedestrian street. The elevations and square footage vary by site but the concept is the same. This non-suburban design was something requested by the community at all three initial meetings last year.

Last year there was talk of residential components but none have been included in the plans. I assume this is due to the housing market meltdown.

All three Safeway sponsored websites mentioned in my original post have detailed plans posted at this point and the College Avenue site includes multiple community comments.

Mitch Bart

Re: Marina Style Active Safeways in Berkeley to be demolished

Posted: 20 Jun 2008 12:21
by TheStranger
romleys wrote:I will try to go to this meeting for what its worth...
Did you make it out there?

Re: Marina Style Active Safeways in Berkeley to be demolished

Posted: 20 Jun 2008 16:47
by romleys
God Damn boss made me stay until 9:00PM

Hope he isnt reading this:P

Ive written to the city council and will be following up and staying informed on plans...

Re: Marina Style Active Safeways in Berkeley to be demolished

Posted: 19 Mar 2009 18:24
by Jason B.
The San Francisco Chronicle's SFGate site reports that a new architect, Ken Lowney, has been hired for the proposed new Safeway at College & Claremont in Oakland, Calif. (replacing the existing marina-style store):
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/ont ... y_id=37188