Politics & Government
New Safeway-Rockridge Shopping Center Approved
Oakland's Planning Commission certified the EIR and approved the necessary permits for the project.
SUMMARY
On Wednesday, the Oakland Planning Commission approved the Safeway-Rockridge Shopping Center redevelopment project planned for the corner of Broadway and Pleasant Valley Avenue (51st Street).
The commissioners certified the final environmental impact report (EIR) and approved city permits for the 15-acre project, according to Darin Ranelletti, a planner in Oakland's planning and zoning division.
Opponents of the project have 10 days to file an appeal to Oakland City Council.
DETAILS
According to a report by Oakland planning department staff, Safeway has made some changes to the final design for the shopping center redevelopment, which now totals nearly 331,000 square feet of commercial space. That's an increase of about 10,000 sf from the previous design and nearly double the amount of commercial space in the center currently.
No residential development is included, although some community members earlier urged Safeway to consider a mixed residential-commercial development.
The changes include a new location, closer to Broadway, for the entrance to a parking garage.
The project would require reducing Broadway from three lanes of traffic to two lanes in both directions between College Avenue and 49th Street, with a new traffic signal to allow left turns onto Broadway by drivers leaving the shopping center.
The staff report says the project is also expected to have impacts on traffic on Piedmont Avenue and Howe Street.
The plans call for 967 parking spaces at the shopping center, a roughly 50 percent increase from the existing 615 spaces. The spaces would be located at ground level, in a rooftop garage of the new Safeway supermarket and in a three-level parking garage above commercial spaces. Building height for the garage would be about 80 feet.
The project would be built in two phases over a period of about 20 months.
In the first phase, the existing CVS Pharmacy and nearby commercial space would be demolished and the new Safeway constructed in that location.
In the second phase, the existing Safeway store and nearby spaces would be demolished and replaced by new commercial space and parking.
'Like' Piedmont Patch on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter @PiedmontPatch / Share your thoughts in the comments section below
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
