Dear Council Members and City Staff,
In reviewing the Economic Development directors report, one note stuck out. “Met with Rite Aid floor manager to discuss status of continuity of business operations a second time. They con-firmed they may be closing the store. Staff has since learned that the property owner has been working separately with Grocery Outlet on a potential sale of the property.
Location of the grocery store at the site would require a Use Permit due to the location of the site within boundaries of the downtown district subject to the Formula Business Ordinance; this information has been conveyed to the buyer.”
While we do not want the property to be vacant, the additional of another Grocery Store downtown will undermine our local grocery stores which include Pacific Market, Fircrest, and Community Market. Andy’s Market is located with 10 minutes of City Limits.
In addition, we already have a plethora of grocery stores including Safeway, Lucky and Whole Foods.
I would highly recommend that the City do more outreach to developers and other interested parties. There is an agenda item for the Commons. For instance, perhaps the County could purchase the property and develop it as a library, senior center and community center.
Best,
Kate Haug