Menlo Park: Safeway rebuilding plan sparks study session Menlo Park: Safeway rebuilding plan sparks study session (May 11, 2005)

By Rebecca Wallace

Almanac Staff Writer

An up-close look at a large-scale project is on tap for the Menlo Park City Council on Tuesday, May 10. Before its regular 7 p.m. meeting, the council will hold a 6 p.m. study session on a plan to rebuild the mammoth Safeway grocery store at 525 El Camino Real.

No formal action will be taken, but the council will discuss the plan and possibly give direction to staff to help further shape it.

Under the plan, Safeway would demolish the 85,662-square-foot store and replace it with an unusual triangle-shaped store that would be much smaller, 65,748 square feet, and tucked into the property's northwest corner. In addition, there would be an 11,500-square-foot wing of leased retail storefronts extending south, parallel to El Camino Real.

It has not been determined what types of businesses would occupy that wing, but a restaurant would be unlikely, city contract planner Stephen O'Connell wrote in a staff report. This is because restaurants are less compatible with retail; they have different parking needs and customer traffic patterns, he wrote.

The new Safeway store is planned to have some added features, including banking services, a cafe and outdoor seating, Mr. O'Connell wrote.

Ideas for the Safeway project have been eddying about for some time. Safeway began developing design options in 1998 and started working with neighboring residents on the plan in 2001. In 2002, the city's Planning Commission voiced general support for a project very similar to the current one.

Several steps need to be taken before construction begins. A traffic study will look at such issues as a proposed left-turn lane on El Camino Real for traffic coming north on El Camino and entering the Safeway parking lot. Required approvals will include use and architectural permits from the Planning Commission.

The council on Tuesday will also look at the project's proposed design, which is in an Allied Arts Guild style. Neighbors who worked with Safeway asked for that, Mr. O'Connell wrote.

The project proposal includes other neighbor-favored items such as a wall to shield Kenwood Drive and Roble Avenue residents from light and noise, Mr. O'Connell wrote.
INFORMATION

From 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10, the Menlo Park City Council will hold a study session on a project to rebuild the Safeway grocery store at 525 El Camino Real. The session will be in the council chambers at 701 Laurel St. For the staff report, go to menlopark.org, click on "City Council" and go to the May 10 agenda.

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