By summer 2012 North Berkeley should be sporting a new-look Safeway at its Gourmet Ghetto location after the City Council voted this week to support the zoning board’s approval of the store’s expansion and remodeling plan.
The renovations have been a long time coming, and, as councilmember Laurie Capitelli put it, the end result will not please everyone. Quoting Abraham Lincoln he said: “You can only satisfy some of the people some of the time.” However the remodel, based on a design by Oakland architects Lowney Architecture — and which includes noise, graffiti and traffic reduction elements –ultimately met with approval from the North Shattuck Association and from many neighbors.
In a statement on its website, Safeway said construction could begin as soon as June and the process should take about 10 months.
Interested in issues surrounding doing business in Berkeley? Be sure to attend Berkeleyside’s first Local Business Forum on Monday January 24, 7-9pm at the Freight & Salvage. Doors open at 6.30 and it’s free.