Posted on 07/17/2010 11:28:32 AM PDT by thecodont
OAKLAND — Oakland is close to landing a deal with a major grocery chain to open two stores in East Oakland, where supermarkets are few and far between.
If the deal goes through, Kroger would open two 72,000-square-foot stores under the retailer's Foods Co. banner. The plan also includes a gas station at each site.
The first store would be located at 66th Avenue and San Leandro Street, in a former cannery now owned by the Oakland Redevelopment Agency. The cannery would be demolished to make way for the new building.
The second store would open in the Foothill Square Shopping Center, 10700 MacArthur Blvd.
"It's a big deal for East Oakland," said Councilmember Larry Reid, whose district includes Foothill Square.
"We've been trying to get a new grocery store for an awfully long time," he said.
Lucky's and Albertson's closed several years ago despite efforts to keep them in Foothill Square, he said.
Reid said he visited a Sacramento Foods Co. and was impressed with the quality and size of the store.
The 66th Avenue store would be in the district of Councilmember Desley Brooks. She called the stores a "win-win for Kroger and the residents of Oakland."
Kroger would benefit, she said, from the "pent-up demand" for fresh produce.
Each store is expected to generate at least 100 jobs and $50,000 in annual sales-tax revenue for Oakland, according to figures provided to Oakland by Foods Co.
(Excerpt) Read more at insidebayarea.com ...
Link to map of Oakland homicides: http://www.sfgate.com/maps/oaklandhomicides/
Link to San Francisco Chronicle story on Oakland police force reduction and response to violent crimes: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/17/MN6R1EFHC0.DTL&tsp=1
I understand there is a movement to bring healthful groceries to "food deserts" in blighted areas. There is apparently going to be substantial money poured into this to make it work.
I was wondering what Michelle’s master plan would be for this.
However, I assumed it would be Chavez-style government grocery stores.
Let’s see how long they last in this concrete jungle.
When the stores are continually robbed, shoplifting runs rampant, they’ll close them down. There’s a reason other companies won’t go in that area.
2 years, tops.
The key phrase is “”pent-up demand”.
our own personal “food desert” exists in my small city because 2 supermarkets have been driven out of business in the past 10 years by shoplifting fo’ks. The former supermarket is now a health club.
“The plan also includes a gas station at each site”
That’s the ticket—add fuel to the fire for these obama lovers when they riot next.
I am sure Kroger wouldn’t do it without an infusion of money from elsewhere. I remember living in a blighted mostly black neighborhood (when I was young and poor, well, poorer than I am now) when a major supermarket came in with a big fanfare and all sorts of community outreach...and lasted 2 years.
They couldn’t take the costs of security, not only anti-shoplifting, but the parking lot security. Of course, since someone I knew was mugged at knifepoint within sight of the lot’s security post by a mugger who said that the security guard observing them was a “brother” and wouldn’t do anything, I guess even paying for security won’t help.
The stores probably won’t last, but you can bet taxpayer money will be used to subsidize them while they are open.
Liberalism has so effed up major cities that opening a grocery store is a major deal. Same thing happened in South Dallas years ago. Even the Mayor showed up. Pitiful.
The police department will have satellite offices in each store.
Don't forget the hours spent every week replacing broken windows and painting over gang graffiti.
I give it three years before the windows are boarded up and some governmental agency rents them for office space.
My thoughts as well.
As an aside, during the recent riots in Oakland after the Johannes Mehserle verdict (involuntary manslaughter by BART cop in the shooting of Oscar Grant) the Whole Foods at 27th and Harrison (near Lake Merritt) didn't escape vandalism. I've heard that this particular store has armed guards. The store opened in September 2007.
Good!
It will give the worthless bast*rds something new to pillage in their next rampage.
Stupid *ss Californians.
I wonder how the stores are going to keep themselves from being stolen blind?
When they have to leave because they have more product ripped off than purchased will they tell the city and people the truth or will it be too PC to say the locals are crooks and thieves?
Is Kroeger going to assign one security guard to every customer who walks in the door?
I've read that Detroit no longer has a single supermarket within city limits. Metro residents have to commute out to the 'burbs to go grocery shopping.
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