Eating is an essential part of life and most of us can't afford to eat out every night, and even if we could there's always a need for a pint of milk, loaf of bread, and you just never know when you're going to run out of toilet paper or some other essential. It is a shame to have to get into your car to go find such staples but unfortunately there are currently very few places to buy groceries in the Jack London District as shown by the map below (green markers).

Consequently for most needs we do have to get in a car and drive somewhere which for many defeats the point of living in a City, or at least significantly detracts from the convenience. Given the mixed use nature of the district, and the increasing number of residents coming to the district (so far we think its at least 2000, with more on the way) it seems it should be possible to find a grocery operator to open up in the district. We even have a 20,000 square foot space that the City made the Jack London Square developers ear mark for "neighborhood serving retail" (see blue marker on map below) - there is definitely an opportunity here, we just need to the make connection!

Possible store locations

Site G

The blue marker on the map above for "Site G" is so far the only proposed location for a grocery store in the District. Neighborhood input during the planning process for the Jack London Square Redevelopment got the City to add a condition of a approval for the project requiring them to include "at least 20,000sf of neighborhood serving retail" in the Site G garage. The City said it was not reasonable to require that it be a grocery, but it was clear at the time that this is what the community was looking for. Jack London Square partners said they would do their best to find one for the space, but that was several years ago. Only our demonstrated demand for grocery shopping in the area can help that happen since in the absence of a clear profit opportunity the space will be filled with something else. The JLDA Board is currently making efforts to ensure the conditions of approval are acted on and that the developer does its best to bring an appropriate retail store to the location.

Suggest a site

If you know of other sites which might be suitable for a grocery store please let JLDA know so we can add it to our map as a potential site and help liaise between property owners and store operators. Tell us as much as you can about the site and why it would be good - if you have ownership information that would be even better. Remember that a good site probably needs proximity to parking - even if we all hope to be walking there the City requires such businesses to show they have sufficient parking to meet demands, typically a certain number of spaces based on the square footage of store. Email your suggestions to info@jlda.org.

Suggest an grocery store operator

The other part of the equation is find a grocery store operator, or new entrepreneur who is willing and able to open a store in our district. Although everyone down here knows it is an ideal site for a small neighborhood serving grocery store other people outside the area don't. It may require a lot more development before someone realizes just how many people live here so we can help introduce them to the area and connect them with the right people. So if you know a grocery store operator, or someone thinking about open such a store who is looking for locations please let us know by emailing info@jlda.org

So far we have heard that the UK grocery operator Tesco is opening a chain of small neighborhood serving stores in the USA under the name of "Fresh and Easy". Initially targeting Southern California they have already signed deals to open stores in San Francisco and one in West Oakland. You can read more about Fresh and Easy at their website and even fill out their feedback form to suggest a location. Perhaps if enough JLD residents and workers suggest the Site G location (see map) they might take notice!

Tell us where you shop

An important part of showing we are a good location for a grocery store is telling us how far you have to drive to do your grocery shopping. We'd like to add a map of your favourite "local" grocery stores (even if they are in Berkeley, or Alameda) to help others in the district find good shopping, and indicate that we need a closer store and there is a good opportunity for a budding entrepreneur. Once again just send us an email with your thoughts to info@jlda.org

Thank you!

Thank you for helping us help you - it is your involvement and contributions that help make the Jack London District a great place to live.

Labels: grocery