Safeway

By Russ Cohen

Burlingame needs a new Safeway, but one that fits our unique town.

It is important to understand that the exterior of the building has been closely scrutinized but it is what the store offers on the inside of the complex that dictates its size.

First, Safeway has said the amount of grocery items in the new store will remain almost exactly the same as the offerings today. There will be no more varieties of products than you will find in the store now. Secondly, Safeway's representatives have maintained that if the store's size is reduced, it will be the grocery offerings that will be reduced. Amenities like the pizzeria, sushi bar and deli seating for 40 will remain.

Safeway local representatives contend that they need a store of this size to succeed. Yet, Safeway's own annual report tells a very different story. On the corporate level, Safeway recognizes the importance of quaint shopping villages and stores that fit into those communities are also profitable.

The citizens of Burlingame must demand that our corporate neighbors respect our delicately balanced environment and build projects that are a good fit into the existing pattern of town that has served Burlingame for almost 100 years.