At last night's ANC6D meeting, the Commission voted 6 to 1 in favor of the Voluntary Agreement negotiated with Safeway to support their application for a class B liquor license to sell wine and been in their new supermarket on 4th Street in Southwest. The petition now goes to the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) and should be approved before the grand opening of the new store in the spring of 2010.
After much study and safety consideration, the wine and beer section will be located in the front of the store.
Progress at the site continues on schedule and the street should open in March.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
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27 comments:
I fear this is a mistake in a store that will be surrounded by public housing projects. Does anyone know for certain exactly where this store will be, and what direction it will face? I can't figure out how they are going to shoehorn it into the development.
I applaud this decision. Having beer and wine sold in a responsible way will provide an amenity that has been seriously lacking from the waterfront neighborhood for several years. I can't even count the number of times friends have said they have tried to pick up a bottle of wine on their way over for dinner but couldn't find a store--particularly for people who are metro bound.
As I understand it, the new Safeway will be inside the East building, on the ground floor level.
A good example of how the alcohol sales will work can be found in the Capital Hill Safeway, near 13th & Penn. SE. It's a really nice store, with lots of amenities, and the alcohol sales area is in the front of the store, in a separate room. There's a separate checkout - you have to pay for your beer, wine, and spirits BEFORE you leave the sales room and return to the main area of the Safeway. Only food items are rung up at the regular checkout lanes.
I live right next to the new Safeway, and I do not live in public housing. And even if I did, I would still deserve a safe place to buy beer and wine. And a new, bright, open Safeway is a much better option than the liquor stores with the bullet-proof glass like on S. Capitol Street.
All we need now are some nice bars and restaurants to fill up the other spots on the ground floor of the new buildings. Ideally a higher end place for the Arena crowd, and a lower end pub for the ballpark crowd.
Here comes the neighborhood!
I'm not as concerned about the projects having accesss to booze at Safeway as I am about them having access to my car and to crack dealers.
"And a new, bright, open Safeway is a much better option than the liquor stores with the bullet-proof glass like on S. Capitol Street."
Why? Because the place is predominantly frequented by black people and there's bulletproof glass? Get a clue, tard.
Hey Anonymous Troll:
So you should frequent a store with bulletproof glass in a particularly rough area just to avoid making some convoluted statement about race?
It doesn't matter if a store is frequented by blacks, whites, latinos or eskimos, I'd rather buy my beer where I don't have to fear for my life if it happens to be after 6:00 p.m.
The OP mentioned nothing about race. You're implying that the earlier commenter somehow meant that the new Safeway will be better because it won't be frequented by black people? Blacks and whites both care about safety, my friend.
Maybe you're the oversensitive "tard" who needs to "get a clue" and step off your high horse.
Hey Anonymous Troll:
Have you ever *been* in the Southwest Safeway? I see all kinds of people there and never feel threatened. Nice try on the baiting, though.
NOTE: Don't forget that the 5-cent bag fee goes into effect on January 1.
I like how the anonymous troll thinks he's preaching cultural sensitivity, and then calls the person a retard.
Even if "Steve" had made any racial innuendo (which he didn't), that's pretty f'in hypocritical.
Don't forget, Kate, that it was just over a year ago (Oct 16, 2008)that Marc Blank was beaten to death by three of our young "neighbors" at 9:30pm coming out of that same Safeway with hig arms weighed down with grocery bags, and I'm not even going to mention the beatings that didn't result in death. I'd suggest to your friends they buy their hostess gift in NW and carry it to SW.
I think it's fabulous that there will be beer and wine sold at the revamped Safeway. If they didn't have it, I would probably still troop across the Hill most of the time because I like to be able to purchase everything in one stop. I also frequent the South Cap liquor store because of its convenience, but they don't have near the wine selection that Safeway does. Having more options in the neighborhood is always a good thing!
Will Safeway have security guards will the authority to chase away the human vermin that will undoubtedly congregate at the front of the store looking for handouts to purchase alcohol?
Thankfully, I own a car (since this is 2009, and not 1909) so I can be at one of three Harris Teeter stores within minutes. I'll leave Safeway to the projects.
"human vermin"?
Seriously?
Sorry you have to put up with the rest of the world, who obviously hasn't worked as hard as you have to be so blameless.
I'm surprised you can put up with even living here, what with all the "vermin" hanging around.
I think the common thread running through our blog is that the new Safeway will be the primary grocery store for thousands of low income residents within walking distance, and that is often not an environment that middle- and upper-icome shoppers find pleasant. Theer is no point trying to make it like a Chevy Chase Safeways, this isn't Chevy Chase. The can put in all the hardwood floors they want, but if there are going to be large, odorous people eating out of the produce section using language that would make a sailor from nearby Ft McNair blush, well...most of us on this blog will just choose to shop elsewhere.
SW#1Fan..Absolutley tragic what happened to Marc Blank. If it's any future consolation, with some of the new developments immediately next to the Safeway you're getting quite a few federal law enforcement folks as new residents (myself included).
And no, we wouldn't hesitate to put down a 13, 14, and 15 year old with malicious intent towards us or a hapless bystandard.
I live across the street from Safeway. I'm not "human vermin." I'm excited about the chance to pick up a bottle of wine or something on my way home from work, or my way out to a party. While I love that SW is quiet and relatively safe (especially for a place with such economic diversity and accessibility to public transit), having a nearby place to buy alcohol is one amenity I've particularly missed since moving here.
Also, I am not concerned about the risk of more panhandling or vagrancy. I work near the 7th & O St. NW Giant, which sells alcohol and is in a similarly economically mixed part of town. The people who hang out near the NW store don't seem to have alcohol with them or to be drunk, and they've never asked me for money. And there aren't more people hanging out there than at the current SW safeway. In neither place have I ever felt intimidated or unsafe...and I am a small, young, white woman.
I am glad to see Marc Blank mentioned on this blog and not just forgotten, it seemed to me that his beating death was virtually ignored by the media, especially given the shock-and-awe over comparable incidents in NW at the time. Was it because he was white? Or because it happened in SW? Both?
Where was the outrage over that senseless, violent death?
I'll take the "human vermin" over the insufferable hipster any day of the week. All kidding aside SW has a nice mix of economic classes. Having moved to near SE from Los Angeles for a job in near SE, I didnt really know of the areas reputation, I was drawn to the relatively affordable rent, the transit convenience and the high concentration of modern architecture. As for any experiences with crime, they have been word of mouth/anecdotal or from the news and not from any first hand experience. I like living here and look forward to the new Safeway.
Personally, I'd rather deal with a few obnoxious kids at Safeway than be surrounded by NIMBY, self-important, pompous and snotty folks strolling down the aisles of Harris Teeter on their cell phones. Puleeeeze.
Anonymous (above): By "three obnoxious kids" I hope you don't mean the 13, 14, and 15 year olds who beat Marc Blank to death? These aren't "obnoxious kids" in the Safeway, they can do you great harm---and would like to. Shop at your own risk.
Pardon me, Mr. Anonymous. I didn't mean to include you in the "NIMBY, self-important, pompous and snotty folks" but I'm glad I did. Oh, and your cell phone is ringing ...
this thread is getting so confusing and off-topic...
Enjoy the snowpocalypse, all.
I'm not certain we have gotten off-topic, really. Aren't our neighborhood's problems ultimately rooted in poverty and disparity in wealth, masquerading as racism and fear of crime? One thing the new Safeway needs to do is to integrate its workforce to reflect the diversity of SW, the city, the region, and the nation. Having an all-black workforce doesn't make minorities feel welcomed as much as an integrated workforce. I thought the rest of the antion learned this in the 1960's?
I had two locked bikes stolen from my gated complex. Lets hope the alcohol sales don't lead to drinking and stolen bike riding.
That is good, isn't it?
I feel compelled to leave a comment somewhere on this blog and since this thread is heavily focused on crime...here it is...I just moved after living in SW for over a year. ALWAYS felt safe there as a single female walking to and from my townhouse from this Safeway night and day. Was really sad to leave SW but I bought a house elsewhere. Then NYE at 1:30pm, I was a victim of an armed robbery near my old place in Capitol Park. Never saw that coming in the middle of the day. Those without first hand experience of crime in SW should be aware that this all could change fast.
I have been hassled by young men/boys twice in the past several years, both times walking to the Safeway on a sunny Saturday afternoon. No mugging, just threats and intimidation which worked beautifully for the thugs as I now drive to Virginia (or the new downtown Safeway at 4th and L NW) for groceries, just what they wanted. Anyone in SW who is not aware they are living in a dangerous 'hood is just kidding themselves.
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