Some of Your Neighbors' Comments

One of the alternate representatives for the Stakeholders meetings sent me their notes from the prior meeting, held on Sept. 22nd.  Below are some of the public comments collected from that meeting, in response to the size issue on the table:

• Feeling is clear that we will not support a large store, or one that covers that site.

• Should not expect neighborhood to pay for Safeway’s short-sightedness. They closed the Shattuck store that became Berkeley Bowl.

• We need to examine the very real presence of carcinogens that exist and will increase by doubling parking. In the immediate neighborhood there have been 3 cancer victims, whose cancers are associated with ethyl benzene.

• One person noted that three different people unknown to each other all expressed their interest in pedestrian-friendly and open space.

• The Grand Ave store should not serve as model, because of the parking lot there. Doesn’t want to see a parking lot to College Ave.

• Encourages Safeway to revisit exterior model they’re using. The stucco design is offensive - why not shingle siding? We can sell our houses and move to Danville, if we want to look at that plastic design.

• In the morning, the whole side across from Safeway has lights and trees. Building a large Safeway will shutter sunlight and destroy the existing landscaping.

• One individual who recently moved here – and paid a tremendous amount of money to live in this neighborhood - wants pedestrian-friendly neighborhood preserved. Believe the community will get its way when a plan is presented.

• Pedestrian-friendly is not same as size, scale is not same as size.

• Likes view of hills, can we create an analysis to understand impact of height on view and light?

• Questioning market research done on income levels? She never received a survey, did they talk to people in the area? Because she won’t use and doesn’t need all the departments.

• If Safeway don’t like what we want, others will, so listen to us. Can’t believe the PR charade. When you plan you discuss size. Don’t care about their departments.

• Safeway was grandfathered in there with a 25M square foot store and that’s what they are going to get.

• Likes larger store, lots of congestion, not good for cars but there’s life. Can ride bike and likes that he can get all his needs at one store.

• It is clear that Safeway has a model, but we want something different. If you don’t like our suggestions, leave. Safeway is overlooking something that could make it a leader for urban stores.

• You can’t design building by committee or with representative model. There will be plenty of time during the planning process when this comes before various boards for the groups to come forth. For this group, forget about strict representation, look for creativity and ideas the community has. Other thing is that forcing this into a mold of corporate facilitation will not give Todd the info he needs to make a more modern store with community feeling. Question of size and other issues can’t be isolated, where the size is concentrated is also an issue. Has specific feeling on use of the corner. Here to tap into local creativity.

• Discussing this new store and it’s size is like stuffing an elephant into a bathtub. Sooner we figure that out the better. FAQs, about departments and hurting local merchants.

• AC transit – concern about parking emptying out on College and bus transit delays associated with that.

• Would like everyone to think about how to solve this problem vs. confrontation, size is real and symbolic, how to solve, current size, vs 76M, where are we going to end up? Don’t know but think about the process. Think about this process vs. Dreyers, think about what size store you want. Go to other stores and ask Safeway.

• Plans for other stores were asked for, and on the agenda, but not discussed.