Two San Francisco Safeway Stores to be Transformed into Large Housing Complexes
San Francisco's two oldest grocery store chains, Safeway, are set to undergo a dramatic transformation as the company announces plans to turn both locations into large housing complexes.
The Bernal Heights and Ocean Beach Safeways will close temporarily while construction gets underway on the massive projects. The proposed plans for the Bernal Heights location involve a six-story building that would include a new Safeway store, 370 new apartments, and a below-ground garage for residents and shoppers.
Similarly, a similar plan has been pitched by the same developer for the Outer Richmond Safeway near Ocean Beach, which would bring an eight-story complex to the neighborhood with 526 new homes.
The company says that the construction will disrupt the lives of its employees, who will be reassigned to other nearby stores while the store is closed. The company has stated that the store will even grow in size once it reopens.
While these changes will undoubtedly bring economic benefits to the area, they also raise concerns about the displacement of long-time residents and the potential loss of community character.
San Francisco's two oldest grocery store chains, Safeway, are set to undergo a dramatic transformation as the company announces plans to turn both locations into large housing complexes.
The Bernal Heights and Ocean Beach Safeways will close temporarily while construction gets underway on the massive projects. The proposed plans for the Bernal Heights location involve a six-story building that would include a new Safeway store, 370 new apartments, and a below-ground garage for residents and shoppers.
Similarly, a similar plan has been pitched by the same developer for the Outer Richmond Safeway near Ocean Beach, which would bring an eight-story complex to the neighborhood with 526 new homes.
The company says that the construction will disrupt the lives of its employees, who will be reassigned to other nearby stores while the store is closed. The company has stated that the store will even grow in size once it reopens.
While these changes will undoubtedly bring economic benefits to the area, they also raise concerns about the displacement of long-time residents and the potential loss of community character.
They're literally turning grocery stores into houses! It's gonna be crazy to see Safeway stores transformed like that. I mean, I know it's all about gentrification and making space for more people, but what about the people who've lived there forever?! 
Those Bernal Heights apartments are, like, super expensive now 
. And I'm worried about the community too... it's already hard to find a place to live in SF! 
. I live in SF with my kids, and I love our neighborhood - it's got a great community feel that's hard to replicate. What happens when these new high-rise apartments pop up? Are we gonna lose some of the local character that makes our city so charming? 
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But have we thought through the bigger picture here? As a parent, it's hard not to imagine the impact this could have on our community 
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. And now they're gonna turn them into housing complexes? I get that housing is needed and all, but can't we find other ways to make it work without displacing so many people? 
I'm worried about what's gonna happen to the local businesses that rely on those stores for foot traffic. And have you seen the size of these new complexes? It's like a mini city over there! 
Not sure I want my neighborhood looking like that...
. But at the same time, I'm worried about all the long-time residents who might be priced out of their own neighborhoods 
. It's like, what happens when a bunch of new faces move in and the community gets lost in the shuffle? Can't we find other ways to revitalize the area that don't involve sacrificing the character of our local stores? Maybe some affordable housing options or community centers would be a better bet for me 
. Guess only time will tell what's gonna happen 
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. Don't get me wrong, more affordable housing sounds great and all, but what about the community? It's not just about getting more people in here, it's about who gets pushed out and what happens to the neighborhood vibe. I'm sure those new apartment owners are gonna wanna block off the sidewalk or something 
... can you even imagine?!
On the other hand, 370 new apartments is a LOT of space for people to call home... hopefully the city can make sure that some of those spots go to low-income families or something. 
And what's gonna happen to all the long-time customers and employees who are gonna be affected by the construction? It's a big change for the community, no doubt. Can't we find ways to preserve some of that history while still making room for new developments? 
. I'm curious to see how this all plays out though, maybe we'll end up with some awesome new developments 
and what about all the small businesses dat'll get pushed out too? dis is just more proof dat gentrification is a real thing and SF's losin its soul 
. Don't get me wrong, 370 new apartments might sound nice on paper, but where are all these families supposed to find affordable housing around here? 
And what about the long-time residents who have lived in those neighborhoods their whole lives? They shouldn't be priced out of their own homes just to make way for 'progress' 
it's like, I get it, gentrification is real and all but can't we find other ways to make it work? 
but it feels like we're losing a piece of history here too 
these stores are iconic, they've been around for ages 
not just the bottom line 
. At least the new housing complexes will bring in more people to the area, maybe that'll boost local businesses too 
. And what about the people who are gonna lose their jobs? Reassigned to other stores, yeah right 
. I get that it's all about economic growth and whatnot, but can't we just find a way to preserve the character of these places instead?
gotta think about the people who've been shopping there for years, they might not want to leave their old neighborhood