Former Tower Records Location to House Neighborhood Trader Joe's

By Emma Hall

Trader Joe’s is very close to coming to the Castro and taking up the retail space left vacant by Tower Records since 2006.

Owner Kent Jeffrey hopes to have the architectural plans formalized within the next couple of weeks, followed by a lease signing and then sending to the city for approval. Jeffrey said he is thrilled to find a business to fill the empty space after such a long time with no anchor tenant. Despite the financial hardships of not having an anchor tenant while paying for the mortgage, Jeffrey stayed determined to find a business to move in that would be beneficial to the Castro neighborhood.

The space is 13,000 square feet and located at Market and Noe streets. Jeffrey’s family has owned the property since 1928 and even lived there for a time as an infant when his parents operated a sauna on the property. Trader Joe’s plans to move into the ground level, and the Radio Shack that is currently there plans to move across the street into space recently vacated by Plant It Earth.
During the time that the space has been vacant, Jeffrey has been committed to letting the space benefit the neighborhood. He has rented it out to various neighborhood organizations such as the “No on 8” campaign and the Under One Roof organization, which raises money for AIDS service organizations.

In an email to friends and supporters, Jeffrey explained why he felt that Trader Joe’s was a good fit for the neighborhood. “It will be a welcome relief and a definite plus for the neighborhood, especially in today’s economy,” he wrote. “We have received assurance that our new tenant will reach out and work with the community in a positive way.”

So far, the proposed store has been met mostly with support. Supervisor Bevan Dufty showed his support with a letter in the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association newsletter. He insists that Trader Joe’s is a good fit for the neighborhood since they will provide a local place to shop as well as “their strong reputation as an employer of the LGBT community.”

Dufty even wrote that he “will promote an effort to get households to acquire rolling carts that make it easier for all of us to shop there without relying on autos.” This addresses the main concern of many residents who fear traffic and parking nightmares.

When Trader Joe’s was looking into another neighborhood location at 15th and Sanchez five years ago, traffic was the main concern as well. Community concern about this was a main factor in Trader Joe’s eventual pulling of the proposal.  However, the one-way streets of both 15th and Sanchez are in stark contrast to the currently proposed location.

Jeffrey doesn’t think that parking will be a problem for the customers or the neighborhood, since it wasn’t a problem when Tower Records was the anchor tenant. The building has 39 rooftop parking spots.

Some residents and merchants are protesting the Trader Joe’s development. The Harvest Ranch Market across Market Street had signs in their windows for a few days opposing the Trader Joe’s. However, those signs were later removed by the owner.

Proposition G was passed by San Francisco in November of 2007, requiring large chain stores such as Trader Joe’s to go before the Planning Commission and get a conditional use authorization before opening.  This law allows neighborhood residents to voice their concerns about the proposed chain store opening up.

While Trader Joe’s goes through the process of obtaining a conditional use authorization, a grassroots organization has started to rally behind the proposed business opening. Savethecastro.com was launched in late October and aims to gather support at the Planning Commission meetings.

There are currently four other Trader Joe’s in San Francisco.

Copyright 2009 Castro Courier