Fresh & Easy in Downtown San Jose?
I haven’t seen any public announcement yet, but “Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets” has requested a city permit for beer and wine sales at 272 East Santa Clara Street in San Jose. That’s the former Albertsen’s /
Lucky’s / Su Vianda location next door to City Hall.
If this works out, it will be a great shopping option for downtown dwellers. Fresh & Easy has a kind of different business model: They have a lot of own-branded items like Trader Joe’s, but they tend to focus more on prepared items like salads and sandwiches rather than the packaged items that dominate TJ’s. In addition to ready-to-eat, they also have a pretty much complete line of other kitchen basics including fresh fruit, vegetables, and meats. They don’t have the selection of a full-size suburban mega-market, but they cover every-day needs.
They’ll be in direct competition with Safeway’s The Market a few blocks away, but they’ll have the advantage of a surface-level parking lot. If they do one thing to improve the streetscape on Santa Clara Street, though, it will be to keep that parking lot clean, which previous owners have never done.
Here’s looking forward to another shopping choice in downtown.
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/planning/hearings/PC/2011/Reports/1026/CP11-040.pdf
ReplyDeleteIf I interpret this correctly, the permit to sell alcohol will be denied (proximity to houses & a school).
Does downtown need another grocery store? We have Safeway, two farmer's markets, the forth-coming San Pedro Public Market, Mi Pueblo, a planned Whole Foods, and a Trader Joe's just outside of downtown, as well as a recently closed Zanotto's. That empty Su Vianda building needs be torn down and that entire lot needs to be renovated into something useful. A giant surface parking lot is waste or space and quite the eye sore.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Safeway is fine for folks in that immediate area.
ReplyDeleteThis city is so haphazard with planning. Is there any review process at all, or is it more like here's a vacant space, we want to open this... and the city is it's usual disengaged self and says oh yeah, great?
Completely disagree. Fresh & Easy is 100 times better than an empty storefront.
ReplyDeleteWell, we saw how well Zanottos did (even with city financial assistance) -- and the Fresh/Easy site is in a big ugly dead zone. And right next to city hall. How sad.
ReplyDeleteIt's a different concept. Zanottos was more of a specialty grocer than a mass-market one like Fresh & Easy. Currently downtown is also in better shape to support 2 anchor grocers.
ReplyDeleteFresh and easy? That's what he said!
ReplyDeleteWhat is so special about Zanotto's? I don't get San Jose's fascination with it. It's really mediocre at best.
ReplyDeletethe planning commission is most likely going to deny fresh and easy's request for a conditional use permit to sell alcohol at tonight's planning commission hearing, according to the staff report.
ReplyDeleteI agree we need more supermarkets. Safeway has become lazy and complacent in many respects-it needs some competition.
ReplyDeleteMi Pueblo is OK for some basic produce and goods but it is quite substandard otherwise.
I'd be delighted if the Fresh and Easy chain opens up downtown! And I'd be even happier if Whole Foods would also decide to follow suit on that projected lot on the Alameda.
finally something planned for the area seems to be coming to fruition...tavern+bowl...we're still waiting.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_19512213?source=rss
Looks like it's happening based on the last city council meeting they approved the permit. Can't wait! The Market isn't convenient for those that live in the higher number streets and parking is awful. Mi pueblo is good for produce and a few other things, but not like a more traditional grocery store.
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