The Willow Glen Resident

Council Watch

Safeway moves one step closer to building super store

Land behind store may eventually be developed into residential housing

By Cecily Barnes

Safeway submitted plans Sept. 4 to demolish its current building on Meridian and Hamilton and construct an even larger store that will contain a hot-food deli and stay open 24 hours. The San Jose Planning Department is poring over the blueprints and will set a public hearing date soon.

"The traffic report is still in preparation, and that's something that will need to be reviewed by staff before we set a date," said Carol Hamilton, senior planner with the city of San Jose Planning Department.

When Safeway's architect Richard Zlatunich showed the project plans to the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association, group members pointed out that the intersection at Hamilton and Meridian avenues is already heavily trafficked. They voiced concern that the elimination of a small access road that connects the Safeway shopping center with the Dry Creek Plaza next door would further increase traffic.

"[If the road is demolished] these people who want to go to Safeway or Thrifty's are going to have to get on Meridian and go around. We're going to really make a mess out there," board member Dick Schwartz said.

In response to this concern, Zlatunich proposed the idea to planning staff of a pedestrian sidewalk connecting the two shopping centers. Planners are still mulling this idea over.

"Staff was not enthusiastic about access to the adjacent property," Zlatunich said. "They thought there might be some safety issues, with the loading dock right there and the compactor."

Hamilton says planners will wait to make any decisions about an access connection until they see the results of the traffic study.

Another group concerned about traffic is the Dry Creek Homeowners Association, which represents a group of homes across the street from Safeway. The group fears that if high-density housing is built on the undeveloped plot behind Safeway, traffic near their homes will increase dramatically.

"The traffic load--the street wouldn't be able to handle it. It would be a disaster," Don Baptist, the president of the homeowners association, said.

After the Safeway is expanded, a plot of excess land behind the store will likely be sold to developers and turned into single-family homes. But development isn't expected to start anytime soon.

"Safeway are not developers. At some point they'll have to find someone to sell it to, and as far as I know, they've haven't started looking for a buyer," District 6 Councilmember Frank Fiscalini's aide, Joe Guerra, said. "They want to get the store dealt with first and then work with the housing."

Baptist said the Dry Creek Homeowners Association is only opposed to high-density housing, not single-family homes. In an apparent effort to be good neighbors, Safeway is negotiating to lease the homeowners group a small triangle of land that will remain undeveloped as long as the store is there, Zlatunich confirmed. While this land could be used as open space for the homeowners, Baptist said the offer isn't as good as it may appear.

"We're not jumping at the opportunity because of the implications of occupying a space you know you're going to lose," he said. "Say you put a park in there, and 20 years later, they put a wall up."

Nonetheless, the homeowners board is considering the offer, given that the land would cost $1 per year, confirmed Zlatunich.

Aside from the development, Baptist said the homeowners' association is happy to have a larger Safeway next store.

Zlatunich is hoping the store will be used by Willow Glen residents who currently shop at the Safeway on San Carlos and Race streets, according to Safeway's records.

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