Davis changes rules to allow larger Safeway
Also, an update on Watermelon Music, G Street, Pho Yummy, a new gas station and Subway, Local Kitchens’ remodel and much more
→ Larger Safeway on the way: The Davis City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance eliminating the size limit of certain stores in South Davis’ Oakshade Town Center. The move would allow the Safeway to expand into the former Rite Aid space, adding a pharmacy to the grocery store, and keeping the drive-thru pickup window.
The request came at the urging of Regency Centers, the owner and operator of the center, which is on Cowell Boulevard in South Davis. Oakshade has two of the largest vacancies in Davis, after the closure of OfficeMax (21,000 square feet) and Rite Aid (17,500 square feet). A Spirit Halloween store is leasing the former Rite Aid space temporarily.
When presenting the proposed ordinance, Principal Planner Dara Dungworth told the council, “This is the precursor to fix several shopping centers. We wanted to align as much as we could with the applicant’s request, and give them space they could lease. It’s a model for a larger effort … for a citywide zoning amendment.”
The plan is designed to help fill some of the vacant storefronts in town. Instead of fixed conditions on a grocery store’s size, for example, it would allow applicants to submit permits for ones larger than Davis’ 40,000-square-foot limit. The change will boost the Cowell Safeway to 57,500 square feet.
Jenny Hess, who handles leasing for Regency Centers, told the council on Tuesday night that she had a signed lease for OfficeMax space, contingent on approval of the ordinance, and was in negotiation with Safeway to expand into the adjacent Rite Aid space. I left email and phone messages with Hess on Wednesday to ask about the signed lease. I did not get a response.
The staff report recommending the zoning change stated: “Through staff’s analysis and the application of the city’s economic goals, staff determined that the removal of all use square footage restrictions would provide the maximum flexibility for tenant attraction and responsiveness to market demands.”
The 40,000-square-foot limit on grocery stores has been in place since the 1990s. Dungworth told the Planning Commission last month that the rule was intended to create smaller, localized commercial centers rather than larger, regional ones, and possibly protect the downtown.
The ordinance removes restrictions on the number of restaurants; kinds of banks; and the size of linen, fabric, toy, hobby and craft stores. It repeals restrictions forbidding entertainment uses like indoor theaters, video arcades, bowling alleys, pickleball, escape rooms and trampolines.
Councilwoman Gloria Partida said, “We do have to take a look at our shopping centers differently than we have in the past. Ensuring that our downtown remains vibrant, but I also think it’s important for us to have satellites and outposts where the community can gather. … We can do that without that being a detriment to what is happening downtown.”
The ordinance moves most conditional uses into the permitted uses category, which streamlines the often costly and timely permitting process.
The Oakshade Town Center site plan shows the layout and square footage for each space. As of Thursday, Orangetheory Fitness was listed as a tenant, which is out of date. The couple bringing Orangetheory to Davis backed out of that location. They are working out the details on another property downtown, one of the owners told me on Thursday.