An opportunity for affordable housing in (upper) Georgetown...

This is an opportunity to use Housing Production Trust Fund money and build affordable housing above the Safeway on Wisconsin Avenue in Upper Georgetown.

And rather than encourage more driving, why not require the store to provide delivery services? A delivery van could make 5-7 stops instead of having 5 to 7 cars drive to the store, and clogging up a narrow Wisconsin Avenue.

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From the Wednesday, April 30, 2008, Current newspapers.

Safeway looks to redevelop Georgetown site
By Natalie Gontcharova, Current Staff Writer

Safeway public affairs manager Craig Muckle demurred when asked about talk of plans to redevelop upper Georgetown’s “Social Safeway,” long known as a hotspot for mingling — and, more recently, for Yuengling. (The grocery store began offering beer and wine last year.) “We have nothing approved and nothing definitive,” said Muckle. “We don’t want to raise expectations or put a false sense into the community.”

Muckle acknowledged that the company recently met with Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans and representatives from the D.C. Office of Planning about redeveloping the approximately 48,000-square- foot property, but he said talks were preliminary.

Evans described the store’s plans in more detail yesterday. He said Safeway representatives told him they would like to tear down their old building, which is set back from Wisconsin Avenue by a parking lot, and build a new one fronting the street. He said the store also wants to add parking, upping the number of spaces from 190 to about 350. The new parking lot would be in the back.

The project “has a lot of potential,” Evans added. He said the street frontage would give the property what real-estate developers call “curb appeal,” giving passersby a view of an urban storefront rather than a parking lot.

Plans for other D.C. Safeway stores are more definitive.

The company hopes to begin redeveloping its 20,000-square- foot Petworth store soon, expanding it to 55,000 square feet and adding underground parking and housing on top. A new store is also coming in September to the CityVista condominium at 5th and K streets NW.

All of these projects are part of the company’s ongoing five-year plan to remodel its 1,700-odd nationwide stores by 2010. Some stores will be completely redeveloped, but most will get a “lifestyle remodel,” which Muckle said means enhancing the product selection and improving service and convenience.

The “Social Safeway” site and building are assessed at $6.1 million and zoned for a low-density shopping center. The store underwent a $500,000-plus renovation project in 2003.