Concerned Neighbors' mission is as follows:
- Voice the neighborhood's concerns with the design intent of the new store.
- Promote instead a major renovation of the existing 23, 000 sq. ft. store
- Retain the ambiance, character, and scale of our pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.
- Retain the Shop Local opportunities we enjoy with our independent merchants.
- Protect our neighborhood from increased traffic, noise, and other large-store pollution.
- Insure compliance with the spirit and intent of the C-31 zoning, which was uniquely created for Rockridge and College Ave.
The latest proposal from Safeway included a 76,000 sq. ft, two-story structure whose facade would run 400 ft along College Ave with no set-backs and parking for 200+ cars. Their design and entire aesthetic is suited to a suburban strip mall, not our urban, pedestrian-focused neighborhood. Their objective to draw more customers to the site will only result in heavily congested streets and increased health, noise, and safety concerns, not to mention the destruction of our unique and intimate shopping district. WE ARE COMMITTED TO PREVENTING THIS FROM HAPPENING.
We will use this site not only as a gathering of thoughts and ideas, but also a resource for news, updates, and contacts. We welcome your ideas and energy, plan to keep you informed, and look forward to delivering our message to Safeway and the city of Oakland with you!
2 comments:
Thanks for doing this! This will certainly help keep us up-to-date.
I think this is coming and our job is to help direct it positively. So lets think big: architect/design competition for new model of revolutionary "green" supermarket in terms of layout, parking, planted courtyard to increase and host the pedestrian traffic in the area,
super bike & stroller storage/loading,
energy efficiency (setting a new standard for carbon footprint for markets around the country, compostable everything and solar panels),
new delivery models with direct farmer delivery,
on site fabulous recycling center and ecology booth with a volunteer ombudsmen/answer guy.
It could be a win win for neighborhood and safeway by being inviting not big, worthy not wasteful, cost saving not consuming, and could lead meaningful change across America. An opulent luxury boutique store is not what we want here in rockridge so let's make it ours.
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