Construction of New Safeway Store Begins

After more than two years in the planning stages, the new Safeway redevelopment on Point Fosdick Drive Northwest is finally getting started.

Safewayexecutives and Gig Harbor city officials gathered behind the Wednesday morning for a groundbreaking celebration to mark the start of construction on a new signature Safeway store.

“This is a big deal. It’s a big deal for Safeway. It’s big for Gig Harbor and it’s especially big for consumers in the community,” said Greg Sparks, Safeway’s Seattle division president.

During the April 13 ceremony, Sparks and several other speakers, including Gig Harbor Mayor Chuck Hunter, acknowledged the collaborative efforts of Safeway staff and city planning officials in getting the new store underway. They also had accolades for the additional jobs and economic vitality the development will hopefully bring.

“When you take care of the community and take care of customers, everyone seems to do well and prosper,” said Sparks.

The new Safeway will be situated at the southeast corner of the Point Fosdick Square development. At 63,000 square feet, it will be 20 percent larger than the 40-year-old existing store. It will have expanded departments for produce, seafood, meat, deli and bakery goods. A bigger pharmacy will include more in the way of healthcare services. Among the new store’s other amenities will be a full-service sushi bar, extensive wine cellar, a hearthside indoor eating area, and additional outdoor seating.

“The pictures don’t do it justice, how nice this store will be,” said Jay Rothermel, Safeway’s Tacoma-region district manager. “This store will be the show.”

One thing the new Safeway won’t have is a gas station, where customers could fill up at a discount. With gas prices crossing $4 a gallon, that’s a disappointment.

“In the last couple of days I’ve had a bunch of people calling me asking about that,” said Sparks. “We really wanted to squeeze a gas station in, but that’s the one thing we weren’t able to make work.”

The old Safeway will remain open until the new store opens later this year. Afterward, the entire strip mall will be razed to build a new destination shopping center, starting in the second quarter of 2012.

When completed, Pt. Fosdick Square will have 200,000 square feet of retail space, including a Kohl’s department store, set on 17 acres. A series of pocket parks and common areas have also been built into the overall design, in an effort to make the new shopping center a pedestrian-friendly experience.