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Though Safeway’s plans for adding housing to its Albany grocery store on Solano Avenue proved a flop with neighbors, the Pleasanton-based grocery chain is still pursuing its plans for a makeover. 

Reminiscent in scope of the days of the 1960s that ushered in the “ranch style” stores across the nation, the chain’s new makeover campaign is aimed as much at the insides as the outsides of their supermarkets. 

“We are remodeling all our stores across the entire company,” said Esperanza Greenwood, spokesperson for the chain’s Northern California division. 

And through the process, she said, Safeway will be meeting with neighbors—a wise move given the turn of events in Albany. 

Safeway is working on plans to demolish and rebuild three local stores: 

• The Berkeley store at 1444 Shattuck Ave.; 

• The Albany store at 1500 Solano Ave.; and  

• The Oakland store at 6310 College Ave. 

“All stores are being converted to a lifestyle format,” Greenwood said, adding that this means featuring a wider selection of organic products and larger floral departments. “Generally, we’re carrying a more extensive range of organic produce, more extensive fresh food including seafood and meats and a more extensive selection of natural products.” 

What happens with each store will depend on a variety of factors, including whether or not Safeway owns or leases the buildings. “We accommodate to the site,” Greenwood said. 

A proposal floated late in 2005 to demolish the Solano Avenue store and replace it with 40 condominiums behind a new store met with strong opposition and heated comments from neighbors and Solano merchants during meetings with a real estate officer from the chain. 

When Todd Paradis, the chain’s real estate manager, was asked during a community meeting of residents who live near the Shattuck Avenue store if Safeway had plans to building housing there, the response was clear: “It was not our plan.” 

He added than since housing at the Solano Avenue story had gone over “like a lead balloon, we reeled it back in.” 

Paradis had planned another Albany meeting last week, but plans were scrapped and no date for a new meeting has been set, Greenwood said.  

Robert Cheasty, former Albany mayor and president of the Solano Avenue Association, said his organization hasn’t been contacted by Safeway with any new plans. 

While the earlier proposal had drawn fire from association members, Cheasty said there was no fundamental opposition to a store that is locally owned, pays good wages to union workers and has embraced the organic foods that are popular with local residents. 

But for a new Solano store, he said, “we are looking for something that is compatible with our neighborhood and supports sustainability. If they do that, they should do well,” he said. 

Shattuck Avenue residents also praised the embrace of organics and said they liked buying at a union shop. 

A June 21 meeting was held for residents who live near the College Avenue store and a second store at 5130 Broadway in Oakland. 

Greenwood said the store has no firm timeline for completion of the overhauls. 

“We’re dealing with building permits and construction. We will get them all done, hopefully sooner than later,” she said.