Safeway was granted the one-year delay it sought Tuesday from
the Planning Commission for building a new gas station at Tennant
Station.
The 12-pump station with sales kiosk is part of a partial renovation of the shopping center that will also include a new Safeway grocery store and an office building.
No timetable has been established for the construction of the grocery though Planning Manager Jim Rowe said building permits have been issued to Safeway.
Rowe said the renovation is somewhat complicated because several owners are involved.
“Before, it (Tennant Station) existed under one ownership,” Rowe said. “Now there are three.”
Terracommercial is the major owner. South Valley National Bank and Safeway own smaller parcels and, Rowe said, a free-standing office building that is part of the construction plan might be owned by yet another company.
Rowe said the planning process is made more difficult because of the multiple owners. The city and the owners are working to put a structure in place for the major tenant or majority owner to ensure uniform maintenance, parking lot care and sign repair.
Also under discussion is the “exit clause” – how long a Safeway gas station would be allowed to stand empty if it failed as a business before the building were torn down.
“Safeway has completed plan check and is all signed off for permits to be issued,” he said, “but Safeway doesn’t want to pull permits until it’s satisfied with these clauses.” Rowe said the project will next proceed to site and architectural reviews.
In order to build the new 54,799 square-foot Safeway, the existing buildings east of Joann’s Fabrics to the drive aisle will be demolished for the store. The central building where Long’s Drug Store and Commonwealth Credit Union were located will also be torn down to provide room for expanded parking.
Tuesday’s Times’ story on the Safeway project said that everything east of Rosso’s to the drive aisle would be torn down. This was incorrect. Joann’s will not be affected except, possibly, by construction dust.
The station will sit on the southeast corner of Tennant Avenue and Monterey Road, pushed back to allow for significant landscaping. The southwest corner of the intersection is the site of the former 21-Mile Station – a Butterfield stage stop in Morgan Hill’s early years – and is presently a “pocket park” with ancient, landmark oak trees.
