Land Use Update

If you've driven past the corner of Broadway and Pleasant Valley in the last week, you may have noticed activity there.  Here's the latest update from TRC, Inc., the developers of "Shops at the Ridge," on the demolition of the old, asbestos-contaminated Chase Bank building at the corner.  Demolition had been stalled by the discovery that the cables holding up the roof deck were covered with asbestos.  The City has now issued a demolition permit to take the building down, and the plans have been approved by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which

College Avenue Safeway Project, College and Claremont Avenues: RCPC and the community groups that reached a settlement with Safeway over this project submitted a punch list of issues to Safeway and Terramar, the new owner of the retail building, in February. The groups met with Todd Paradis, Safeway's regional real estate manager, and its attorney in mid-March. The meeting was far from harmonious, but RCPC expects Safeway to comply with its settlement obligations and the city's use permit.

Merrill Gardens at Rockridge:West Side of Broadway North of 51st Street: This project, which proposes market-rate senior housing over ground floor retail, received final Planning Commission approval on June 18. Neighbors of the project had concerns about project access by construction equipment and deliveries as well as removal of street trees. For the most part, these appear to have been addressed during negotiations with the developer and conditions of approval included in the use permit for the project.

College Avenue Safeway Project (College & Claremont Avenues)
As previously reported, Safeway violated its settlement agreement with the three local community groups (including RCPC) by submitting a building permit application to the city without first meeting with the groups to discuss changes to its plans that differ from what the City Council approved last December. Those changes were considerable, and not for the better.