For those that aren’t WCC members (I mean really, why wouldn’t you?), you may not have seen that the Land Use Committee provided an update in the November 2010 edition of the Wedgwood Echo Newsletter on the conversations they’ve had with Safeway in anticipation of their massive remodel of the Wedgwood store. While Safeway had originally pursued a full redevelopment of their site, the economics of that project became prohibitive. As a result, Safeway will expand their existing store by approximately 10,000 square feet and undergo a major overhaul of their existing space. The remodel was intended to being in mid-November 2010 but was delayed. However, if you’ve been in the store lately, you may have noticed that things have gotten underway. So, here’s what is included as part of the remodel:
- Add new or improved service departments such as a new pharmacy, production bakery, service meat and seafood, and triple the size of the deli.
- Improving their wine department,
- Introduce a new organic set in produce,
- New floral department,
- Add 4 self-checkout stands
- Add a Starbucks kiosk (Wedgwood’s 2nd Starbucks)
Due to the delay of the project, the new grand reopening is scheduled for early September 2011.
Since the November 2011 article in the Echo, the Land Use Committee has continued having productive conversations with Safeway, which has included allowing the committee to comment on aspects of the remodel even though no public comment period was required as part of the project’s permit applications. This is a unique gift that the company shared with the WCC and its Land Use Committee which has truly been appreciated. The Land Use Committee hopes that this cooperative and constructive relationship can be emulated with future projects in Wedgwood so that project’s can be designed to be consistent with Wedgwood’s Vision Plan, reflect the character of our community from the outset, and minimize delays resulting from public opposition (see Example 1 and Example 2).