Developer Says Capitol Hill SE Safeway To Be Closed for Two Years

The Foulger-Pratt development team supports their public space application before ANC6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee. At far left, Bryan Foulger, VP of Development. At far right, Tim McNamera, Safeway Real Estate Development.

Developer Says SE Safeway To Be Closed for Two Years

by Larry Janezich

Tuesday night, the Foulger-Pratt development team appeared before ANC6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee, chaired by Commissioner Nick Burger, to support their public space application for curb cuts in connection with the proposed development of the SE Safeway.

During the discussion, the following points emerged regarding the development:

• Construction will take 24 months. During that time, Safeway will be closed.
• Ground breaking is anticipated in 18 – 24 months.
• The current Safeway will be demolished. The new Safeway will be 60,000 square feet – 10,000 square feet larger than the current store.  The developer said that the new store will be “bigger, better, fresher.”
• Foulger-Pratt hopes to close on the deal with Safeway by the end of the year, and become partners and owners with Safeway of the new project.
• The dry cleaning service and the dog grooming shop at 14^th and E Streets are not part of the project. One member of the development team remarked, “We have tried.”
• There will be two levels of below grade parking. The upper level will have 194 spaces for Safeway customers – up from the current 145 spaces.  The lower level will provide parking for residents, at a rate of .5 spaces for the each of the anticipated 325 – 330 apartments.
• The alley behind Safeway will be widened to 30 feet to accommodate 67 foot delivery trucks and two way traffic to accommodate residents’ access to the ramp for resident parking.
• The 24 foot wide entrance to Safeway parking will be off 14^th Street, one foot south of the southern entrance to the current Safeway parking lot.

The Committee voted 5 – 1 with 2 abstentions to recommend the full ANC6B approve the public space permit.  Opposition/abstention on the motion came from commissioners who had reservations about language included by Chair Burger to flag for the city the ANC’s concern about the appropriateness of the 67 foot tractor trailer trucks being used on residential streets.  Those with reservations about the truck size language felt that the issue should be addressed further along in the review process and/or were concerned that the language was a “back door way” to get at the long-standing issue of truck traffic routes on Capitol Hill.

The full ANC6B will take up the issue next Wednesday (instead of Election Day Tuesday), November 9, at Hill Center.

For previous CHC post on Safeway development, see here:  http://bit.ly/2eDM6lq