1830 Ocean Avenue Site

With Fresh & Easy having abandoned their plans to convert the former Rite Aid space at 1830 Ocean Avenue into a grocery store back in 2012, Target has now submitted an application to open a TargetExpress in the 17,000 square foot space at Ocean and Dorado Terrace, a space which has sat empty since 2010.

From the Business Times: “Tailored to city dwellers, the Minneapolis TargetExpress features a smaller assortments of merchandise than typical Target stores, including fresh produce, grab-and-go food and snacks, pharmacy and home goods, electronics and beauty products, complete with smaller hand-held baskets and two-tiered carts.”

Even smaller than a CityTarget, the first-ever TargetExpress concept store opened in Minneapolis this week and Target plans to open three such stores in the Bay Area within the next year.

19 thoughts on “Target Aims To Open A TargetExpress On Ocean Avenue”
  1. I was under the impression that SF was not longer allowing formula retail unless they receive condition use approval? Unless, that’s what they are seeking.

    The SF BoS mantra is: vacant retail space > corporate retail

    1. Thanks to SF voters, it’s been that way since 2006. It’s mostly just so that neighbors can whine and the city can extract more $ from these businesses, since ~75% of the applications get approved anyway.

      This’ll be semi-walking distance from my house – looking forward to seeing competition w/ CVS across the street.

  2. I live in the neighborhood and this is disappointing news. There is a huge CVS across the street and it covers many of the same categories. The CVS even seemed redundant when it opened since it is blocks from a Walgreens. How many places do we need to buy toothpaste?

  3. SF should absolutely prohibit formula retail. Why should they even be allowed a hearing?

    Anyone foolish enough to want to shop in Target should walk or ride a bicycle to the Target in Serramonte, outside of the City. Here we have firm centralized controls on such manifestations of Running Dog Capitalism –especially evil large discount chains that compete on price and sell things poor people can afford.

    Or for that matter, things that rich people can afford: how did the malignant formula retail Brooks Brothers (pseudonym Black Fleece) sneak onto Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights?

    1. How in the world do you “ride a bicycle to the Target in Serramonte”?

      (As much as I think we need to connect 50 cities to a bicycle highway system)

        1. Duh. Now I get it. Separately, London is proposing to top car highways with bike cycleways and I’m intrigued. Bay area bike infrastructure needs to connect the many towns on the peninsula — the increase in local biking is but the beginning…..

  4. Isn’t there enough traffic in that corridor already? With Wholefoods just down the block and now a new mini Target, driving through that area will be a nightmare.

    1. I don’t believe a TargetExpress is intended to be a destination for people coming in from other parts of the City. I am certain that most of the patrons will be from the local residential areas. It is a very walkable district.

    2. We need parking because people don’t have enough stores in walking distance… but we can’t allow new, or even replacement(!) neighborhood stores because they will bring traffic!

      This idea is pretty much the reason why the only walkable neighborhoods are the same ones that existed a hundred years ago. Sad, but I guess it keeps the competition down for SF.

  5. i think the idea around a mini target is that it won’t be a regional shopping destination but rather a neighborhood convenience store a la walgreens. I don’t think traffic will be an issue

  6. As maybe the only commenter who lives in the area – hell yes. Beats an empty storefront. Why don’t you want a useful store on a streetcar line that we can all walk ride bikes and MUNI to?

  7. I wish a Target Greatland had opened in the old Stonestown Tower Records space.

    Tanforan remains my preferred Target because of the quick DC-SB bart ride. The M between just West Portal and SFSU can take as long. I’d visit the Colma and DC more if I had a car.

    It would be great to be able to walk to an Ocean Target in the same amount of time it takes to walk to DC bart, but I’ve found the City Targets disappointing because they tend to only carry higher priced items found in larger stores and will often charge more than the larger stores for some products.

    I suppose a single story express store would have to do more of the same to profit on a smaller store.

    1. > Tanforan remains my preferred Target

      Agree, partly because it’s actually better in my opinion to have the two floors than to walk a half mile (seemingly) to get from one corner of the Colma store to the other. But Colma Target does beat Serramonte every time–Serramonte is always so much more crowded.

  8. According to the Ocean Ave. Assoc, the location was originally scheduled to open in July, but now likely won’t open until the end of the year.

  9. I think it would great to have a Target in the neighborhood. It would also create JOBS.
    It’s better than looking at an empty storefront. People in the community will not drive they will walk, bike, or take Muni.

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