San Francisco has a major housing problem. The city can’t seem to get anything built, and with empty plots of land, derelict buildings pockmarking a city infamous for exorbitant rents, and million-dollar listings for ramshackle buildings, it’s no wonder many citizens feel exasperated after wandering by stalled development projects where approved housing plans have failed to materialize for years.
Now the city has a new empty plot, and no one seems to have an answer on when it’ll be anything but a shut-down grocery store.
Fillmore’s Safeway closed weeks ahead of schedule, and city officials and the site’s promised developer have given no timelines for the mixed-use housing and commercial project first teased in January 2024.
According to Safeway, the grocery store closed for good Jan. 17 after a 50% off fire sale, although the pharmacy remains open until Thursday. After that, the property will be fenced off.
The store’s closure was announced in January 2024 and was immediately protested by locals and officials. Seniors and disabled people in particular lamented it, saying the loss of the grocery at 1335 Webster St. would affect them most. Safeway blamed rampant theft for the closure; security guards told The Standard in December that the store lost $7,000 a day to shoplifting.
The nearest supermarket is the recently opened Trader Joe’s at 555 Fulton St., about half a mile away. There is no direct bus between the two sites. A Safeway just over a mile away, on Church and Market streets, is accessible via the 22 bus for residents who live near the Webster Street site.
But some residents said the trek will be difficult for seniors and disabled shoppers.
“It’s hard to get stuff on a chair and take a bus,” said Radley Roberts, who uses a wheelchair. “You have to go every three days.”
Developer Align Real Estate has been silent on its plans to buy the site and build a mixed-use project with 1,000 units of housing and a ground-level retailer. Details for a potential tenant have not emerged. Align Real Estate didn’t respond to questions from The Standard.
Safeway says it has an agreement to sell Align the land, and the developer is “actively working” on its housing plan, but wouldn’t provide details. No plans have been filed with the city.
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During a hearing Monday about the Safeway closure, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, who represents the Fillmore, acknowledged that there has been “fear and uncertainty,” as well as a lack of transparency. The closure had been slated for Feb. 7 but occurred weeks before that, with no announcement.
“It’s clear the loss of the Safeway is being felt deeply throughout the community,” Mahmood said.
Mahmood’s office appears to be in the dark about Align’s intentions, saying the city has not received housing plans from the developer or heard about a finalized sale. For now, there are short-term food and transportation resources for community residents through the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and nonprofit partner Booker T. Washington Community Center, his office said.
Safeway said it will maintain the store’s parking lot and provide security. All workers have been reassigned to another local Safeway, but the company didn’t say which one.
“We take pride in our 40-year history of serving the Fillmore district and are grateful to our neighbors, customers, and community members who supported us throughout the years,” a spokesperson said in an email.