Photograph by Kate Carter
Making Preparations: Willow Glen resident Jerry Scott, who owns a business in the building next door to the future Longs drugstore, watches as the old Washington Mutual Bank on Lincoln Avenue is torn down.
Work begins on new Longs drugstore
Company officials hope construction will end this spring
By Kate Carter
Work on a new Longs drugstore at the northwest corner of Lincoln and Brace avenues began this month, a little later than Longs officials had hoped.
The company had expected to begin work last fall, and project manager Brad Hoskins said the building is still on track, albeit "the latest track." At this rate, the building could be completed this spring, he said.
"Abatement work prior to that took most of the month of December," he said to explain the delay that led to the beginning of demolition of the old Washington Mutual Bank Jan. 3. The abatement work included removal of asbestos and other materials, but "nothing serious," Hoskins said.
The project was also delayed by the San Jose Public Works Department whose officials determined last fall what Longs must contribute to the streetscape, including streetlights, he said.
Public works project engineer Michael Liw said delays were also exacerbated by Longs' unfamiliarity with San Jose policies. He said the public works department is also requiring Longs to replace curbs, gutters and sidewalks surrounding the new drugstore.
Current site manager Jim Bradford, of general contractor Meehan McCrea, said the demolition of the old bank began at 8 a.m. and was mostly finished by the end of the day, except for the bank's well-fortified vault. He said demolition could take about three weeks. Construction could begin on the site in late February or early March, after the site has been prepared, he said.
Hoskins said Bradford would be replaced by a new site manager so Bradford could work on a project nearer to his home, close to Sacramento.
Hoskins said he hopes construction will take three or four months, weather permitting, to be ready to open before summer.
He said the new Longs will be situated in the same place on the lot that the bank was, with the entrance near the sidewalk along Lincoln Avenue. The new one-story building will be slightly larger than the bank was, extending 10 to 15 feet into the parking lot behind the building, he said.
The city is requiring Longs to keep only two of the three existing driveways into the parking lot--one from Lincoln Avenue and one from Brace Avenue near Lincoln. In addition, the building's exterior will include a false second story, including dormer-type windows and specially designed canopies, to make sure it adheres to the character of Willow Glen.
"The city had quite a bit to do with the design of the building," Hoskins said. "There's a lot going on with the exterior."
The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association also had a lot to do with the design of the building and its relationship with the nearby neighborhood and residents. The association spent more than a year consulting with city and Longs officials to ensure the new structure would be acceptable.
Neighborhood Association President John Gibbs said the association would be watching the construction work closely to make sure it doesn't negatively affect the neighborhoods.
The interior of the Longs will be laid out much the same as other stores in the Walnut Creek-based chain, Hoskins said. The store will include a pharmacy, mailing and customer service center, one-hour photo lab, cosmetics, freezer and refrigerator items, and other drugstore products.
Project architect George Ramstad said the store would not sell liquor.
Hoskins said materials, machines and workers will enter and exit the construction site entirely from Lincoln Avenue, as required by the city. He didn't know if the street would have to be closed off at any point and said he wasn't sure if either a tunnel or a covered walkway would be constructed along the sidewalk in front.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
