1245 South Van Ness Site

Shuttered since 2010, Fresh & Easy was originally slated to take over the former DeLano’s Market site at 1245 South Van Ness but financial woes waylaid those plans.

And while plans to reduced the size of the store by two-thirds and build over 100 condos across the site were being explored, Grocery Outlet has officially filed an application to assume the store’s lease, with minor exterior changes and a “minimal interior remodel to Grocery Outlet standards.”

In addition to the 21,500-square-foot store, the 1245 South Van Ness Avenue parcel includes a surface parking lot for 63 cars.  And while the parcel is zoned for development up to 50-feet in height, it also sits squarely within the boundaries of Calle 24, San Francisco’s Latino Cultural District, and could be bound by the proposed Mission District Housing Moratorium if adopted by voters this November.

47 thoughts on “Grocery Outlet Plans To Stock Shuttered Grocery In The Mission”
  1. Boo. This really needs to be redeveloped to get rid of that nasty parking lot and add some much needed housing.

  2. Hopefully this is just an interim use until things die down and something better can be proposed (although, realistically, that probably means 10 years or so…). As a neighborhood resident I’m looking forward to SOMETHING in that space. I can’t say I’ve ever stepped in a grocery outlet, and don’t have high hopes, but who doesn’t love a bargain.

      1. I’m not. But I’ll still probably patronize, given that there are NO full service grocery stores within walking distance of my apartment. (I’m not counting Local Mission Grocery or Casa Lucas, although both have their charms). It will at least be a convenience.

  3. Damn. Wasted opportunity and lousy store. Wonder if Campos had anything to do with engineering the deal for a discount grocer to fill the space.

  4. This really needs to be a Trader Joes — with condos on top. Trader Joes serves the sweet spot in the market in that it has affordable staples but also some decent luxury items but wont crush the bank. Would be the perfect retailer for the demographic mix of the Mission (and wouldn’t cannibalize existing affiliate stores like, say another Whole Foods would). That said, if a Grocery Outlet can relieve some of the pressure of the insane lines (and horrible management) at the nearby Safeways, then I suppose that’s better than nothing…

    1. I will not shop at Potrero Safeway because of those lines. I can’t believe how inept their management is.

    2. You think it is possible there are people in that area too poor for Trader Joes? I don’t recall seeing much but white people in a Trader Joes

      1. There are enough people in this neighborhood to afford a Trade Joes, IMO. This area has changed a lot in 3 years.

  5. Hear, hear on the TJ’s. Don’t want cheapo grocery store there to attract a bunch of homeless, druggies, etc. I thought Campos “saved” 16th BART plaza for that?

    Plus, I can’t wait for that housing bond to fail in November.

  6. Grocery Outlet is fine – not the best stuff but cheap basics and sometimes good deals on random stuff. Definitely better than an empty store.

  7. What a terrible outcome. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Safeway would have been a better choice for a neighborhood with mixed economics. I hope they at least dress up the site a bit so that it’s not a complete eyesore.

  8. I’m the original person posting as Dan– guess I should have chosen a more distinct name! I agree that TJs with condos on top would be ideal, but I’m happy that this will remain a large grocery store, rather than the small retail space in the planned condo development.

  9. Grocery Outlet has a terrible name but I’ve heard good things about the store. I am just glad that we are finally getting a grocery store back at the site. We definitely don’t need condos there and it will hopefully break up the homeless dance parties that happen there everyday.

  10. This comment section is 90% people who don’t live in the Mission (or even San Francisco) and are upset that this isn’t a condo development or TJ/Whole Foods, and 10% people who live in the area and are excited that something – anything – is coming to the site.

    As someone who literally lives on the block, and could afford a TJ/Whole Foods, I’m beyond excited that this eyesore and homeless playground is being replaced with a functioning business and a place I can get some quick food. I would have loved this to be a site for more housing, with a grocery on the first floor, but I’ll happily take it as proposed.

    1. I live in the neighborhood, and I too find this to be a sad and wasted opportunity. However, I will give shopping there a try AND I think it will be a much appreciated addition by a substantial segment of the local population. So I’m not heartbroken.

  11. “Housing crisis” aside, this is an acceptable reclaiming of this property for useful good.

    Elimination of the grocery and construction of significant numbers of market rate housing units portended the very worse of negative impacts of gentrification. I think it may have proved to be a tipping point leading to mass displacement and gutting of the Latino cultural base in that area of the Mission. While rebuilding to include commercial and a sizable residential component with 50% BMR may have been the ideal, essentially maintaining the status quo is, at least, not change for the bad.

  12. how about an 8 floor build with bottom level traders joes, next 3 levels BMR and top 4 levels market rate.?

  13. Orland, it is ridiculous to call any new development in the Mission “a tipping point” for gentrification. The tipping point happened long ago. A nearby house on Capp St. just sold for $2.3 million, one million dollars over asking. Building more housing will not raise prices higher. Wholesale gentrification is being slowed only by rent control, not restrictions on building.

    1. Not to quibble, but I do not believe the “tipping point” (and that can never be fully recognized till well after the fact) has been reached yet as there has still to be massive displacement and there is time to avoid it. I just think a large market rate development in that location would have been a “blockbuster.”

      1. I agree with Dan, the only thing holding back the massive displacement that Orland worries about is rent control. Every home or condo that is sold in the Mission is proving that the “tipping point” was reached long ago. I’m not saying this with any particular axe to grind, either way. But it is a slow steady process that has been happening since before the last boom (the number of Hispanics in the Mission dropped between 2000 and 2010 census, after all). The occasional victories of anti-gentrification activists are phyrric at best.

        1. I disagree, but if true, it should be hardbound City policy to do everything legally possible to arrest and reverse such development.

  14. To those dissing Grocery Outlet, give it a try some time. Yeah, it contains mostly run of the mill products, kind of like Safeway. But they often do have great deals on the sort of gourmet, organic, artisinal stuff that gets your standard “real SF” citizen excited.

    Just don’t expect anything and be surprised. If you find something promising, buy a “sample” and make sure it is what you want. Then go back and buy a case of it because the good stuff sells out and often is never seen again.

    1. How does it compare to foods co? I actually like getting ice cream there- good deals on its its, helados, Haagen das bars…real cheap costco like pricing. Plus the peeps are pretty nice, even if the client base is 180 degrees opposite of whole foods.

  15. Amazing, a business that provides a vital service (i.e. affordable food and household supplies) to the neighborhood is giving so many posters here the heebie-jeebies. Qu’ils mangeant de la brioche, amiright?

    How dare they impede my beautiful gentrification!

    This is unbridled Marxism. I tell you. Chris Daly surely had his hand in this tragedy.

    Are all used house sales persons, landlords, and flippers such tone-deaf snobs, or just the ones who hang out here?

    1. where do you reside in the city, harboring such strong opinions as you do? I live near enough to this property. I’ll shop there on occasion. I’m glad that a grocery of some sort is going in. As it is, it’s an eyesore.

      I’m not sure what on earth your opinion is. What should it be? Why the weird categorizing of every voice as if they were all in unison. They were not.

      The problem with this concept is that it’s similar to what was already there before. And that store failed.

  16. I vote they put a Mi Pueblo Market instead! Or does that not fit the economic status, and expectations of the new neighbors? You want hard wood floor in you super markets, dim lights, and towel service’s in your grocery stores dont you?

  17. For any who’ve dissed “Gross Out” (cute name i say we supporters adopt it & take the hate power away, like queer for we queer folk): Gross Out doesn’t buy old expired products no one else would sell. They buy direct from manufacturers product overruns (overly produced batches) at a heavily discounted rate.

    Produce is top notch & actually affordable. As seen on tv products (admittedly never worth the price paid with S&H) at a fraction of retail & holiday gourmet items you would never have dreamt of (imagine buying chocolate wine or every variety heart shaped box of chocolate godiva offers to show your girl or guy how much you love them). 3 lbs of that expensive peppered bacon safeway charges 8.99/lb for @ 7.99 (3lbs). I gave those to my nieces for xmas one yr. & my great nieces still talk about how good that bacon was…

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