City officials announced on Monday that a Safeway in the Fillmore District of San Francisco that was scheduled to close in March will remain open for an additional year.
The city and Safeway have reached an agreement, according to a statement from the office of Mayor London Breed, to extend services at the Webster Street location until early next year.
“The Webster Street Safeway is more than a grocery store – it serves as a space that brings together and builds community for the Fillmore neighborhood, which is home to many senior citizens and families,” Breed stated. “I appreciate Safeway for being a good community partner to San Francisco, and their willingness to engage in a collaborative discussion to lift this neighborhood’s needs now and in the future.”
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We have tremendously positive tidings to share. The Fillmore Safeway will continue to operate and provide services to this senior and family-oriented community until the beginning of 2025. This affords us additional time to decide whether to develop the site further, including the addition of housing and a grocery store.
Residents who rely on the shop were shocked earlier this month when Safeway unexpectedly announced that it would close after the land was sold to Align Real Estate. The new owner intends to create a new mixed-use complex including residences and commercial space on the site.
Following the Jan. 4 announcement, Dr. Rev. Amos Brown, president of the NAACP’s San Francisco branch, told CBS News Bay Area that the shutdown was a case of history repeating itself in the Filmore and would create a food desert.
“This community has been economically deprived for 50 years, and it’s time we stopped this kind of exclusionary and gentrifying activity,” Brown told reporters at the time.
On Monday, the NAACP hailed the arrangement to keep the business open until next year.
“We believe the next step is to involve the community in whatever happens next to the Safeway on Webster Street,” Brown said in a statement. “Our community was victimized by the urban renewal program, which forced inner-city Blacks out of the Fillmore. We think that whatever occurs next should be closely related to the community. We want a good faith and collaborative effort to discuss the future of not only the Safeway but also our neighborhood in the Fillmore.”
According to the mayor’s office, the extension would give the city and the new owner more time to consult with the neighborhood and prepare for the land where the grocery store is located.
“We have decided to extend the closing date to January 2025 to give the community and the City more time to establish a transition plan,” the company stated in a statement. “Despite the closure, we will continue to serve this neighborhood through our grocery delivery services and will work with our clients to move their prescriptions to another Safeway site or a location of their choice. We are dedicated to servicing San Francisco from our remaining 15 sites.”