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Safeway will open its new Pleasanton Lifestyle supermarket at Bernal and Valley avenues at 8 a.m. Friday.
The grand opening will follow an invitation-only pre-opening ceremony inside the new store Thursday afternoon, which will also be a benefit for Open Heart Kitchen. Local representatives, including Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley and Pleasanton Vice Mayor Cheryl Cook-Kallio, will join Safeway President and CEO Steven A. Burd at the Thursday reception.
The Amador Valley High School band also will perform at the reception.
This will be Pleasanton’s second Safeway store with the older market at Valley Avenue and Santa Rita Road remaining open to continue serving that part of Pleasanton, company officials said.
Other shops and buildings nearing completion on the new site will include a restaurant, small retail stores, two banks and a hairstyling salon.
A new McDonald’s fast food restaurant, which would be Pleasanton’s fifth, also is part of the plans, although that application has yet to work its way through the city’s planning process.
Chipotle, a Mexican grill popular in neighboring cities, is not on the list of possible eateries, however, according to Donald R. Wright, senior vice president of Real Estate & Engineering for Safeway Inc., although there have been requests for it.
However, Wright told a real estate marketing group recently, the company may still add a retail gas station. The station was on early plans but then scuttled after some opposition developed. Rather than delay the building process, Wright said the station plans were shelved but may be brought back by popular demand.
“People tell us that they want a gas station at the new store,” he said. “There’s room for it and we may seek to build one there later.”
The new 58,000-square-foot store Lifestyle supermarket will be almost twice as large as Pleasanton’s older store. Its opening comes 70 years after Safeway opened its first Pleasanton store on Main Street in February 1941.
It also will be the newest of 270 Safeway stores in the company’s Northern California division, which, like its corporate parent Safeway Inc., is headquartered in Pleasanton.
Company representatives said that Safeway’s Lifestyle-designated supermarkets have expanded meats, seafood, bakery and wine departments, featuring a large selection of organic products and a sandwich bar and customer seating area. More than 200 employees will staff the new store.
Facing Valley Avenue, the store backs onto the northbound I-680 off-ramp and is part of a 12-1/2 acre site that Safeway is purchasing from South Bay Construction, which continues to own the rest of the 39-acre site. Although the site is zoned for office buildings, it is also being considered for residential units, including 10 acres that could be earmarked for affordable housing along the southeast side of I-680.
They better hope there is no rain. They don’t have the parking lot paved and the grand opening is 4 days away.
I can’t even imagine what a congested mess the Valley and Bernal intersection will be going forward – especially when there are events at the Fairgrounds.
How are they going to keep people attending events at the Fairgrounds from parking in this new center’s parking lot? By having armed guards?
Another McDonald’s? Really? It would be nice to lure in some new quality eateries as Dublin seems to be doing.
Another typical Safeway shopping center. I can’t believe the City leaders allow this. It looks horrible. Another McDonalds!?!? Why not In-n-Out? Anything but another McD’s. It is going to be way too congested. Gas station or not, it’s too much for such a small space. Good luck with parking!
Oh and kiss your home values goodbye all of you homeowners on the Ridge. Looking down on a parking lot of a shopping center (think about it at night! Think spaceship, lol) will be pretty ugly.
What’s with the barbs against Mickey Dee’s? Haven’t you eaten there McRibs yet?
Isnt that Foothill High territory?
The new safeway store is going to be convenient for a lot of people. If you don’t live nearby, why worry about it? It’ll work its way out. It always does.
I love the look of the new Safeway shopping center….I think it looks very attractive…I’m looking forward to shopping closer to home. Have a nice day !
I’m happy for the convenience and I agree, it’s looking pretty sharp. Much more elegant than the Ralely’s Shopping Center that needs a FaceLift ~ I will be loyal to Raley’s and split my shopping, but the convenience alone makes it too tempting. The traffic won’t be a problem as there will be driveways on Bernal and a right lane on Valley drifting apart from the left turn lanes to the Fairgrounds.
Some people just love to complain, but think about this. More jobs! More city revenue…. Actually your property value will go up! ( Especially in this economy 🙂
@ Fat Billy
What is wrong with a McDonald’s? How about you ask what can possibly be right with fast food?
Greasy, fattening, assembly line made frozen c**p! And that goes for all these fast food chains, In and Out included.
Go home and cook something!
Quit complaining so much and get a life!
we are thrilled to have a new shopping area close to where we live.I hope this center will include a restaurant that serves great breakfasts.
I would love to see some healthier options go into this new lifestyle complex. A McDonald’s next to a Safeway that is supposed to provide better, healthier, choices seems to be sending mixed messages. Personally, I would be more inclined to shop there if the other stores in the complex also followed suit. How about putting in stores that are healthier and guaranteed to draw people in such as Chipotle and Pink Berry?
No gas station???!!! What are they thinking. Does a member of the Pleasanton Planning Department have a financial interest in the gas station on Valley?
It’s remarkable how pessimism abounds in Ptown. I couldn’t be happier about the arrival of this store. It will keep grocery dollars in the community, provide jobs and enhance the community. And the complex is just beautiful (and BTW the parking lot has been paved for weeks). Bewildered why some are linking McDs to Safeway in their posts. It’s probably not a ‘build it an they will come’ strategy on McDs part… clearly America loves and frequents fast food or there wouldn’t be one on every corner. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it! All that’s missing now is a gas station! Welcome Safeway!
I saw this going up from the freeway – personally, it’s nice to finally see something there besides a vacant area. Progress, jobs, modernizing, all good!!
Remember when Pleasanton residents stood in line at the Safeway on Santa Rita Rd the week of Thanksgiving or Christmas and the check out lines went all the way back to the meat department? Glad to see the new grocery stores in town and the jobs.
I live across the street from this safeway and I’m very excited about this new safeway. Nice to start going to safeway over Rayleys. It looks really nice. I wouldn’t mind a mcd there either. Its providing jobs and it will bring in a lot of money. No complaints here. 🙂