Groceteria.com

Interesting article but why would Safeway want to move from a 50,000 square foot building with convenient parking to a 38,000 square foot building with a parking garage? I don't see anything in this for them.

Highest and best use (of the land).

They will figure out a way to give Safeway however much space that the company feels it needs in order to make this work. Maybe Safeway thinks 38,000 square feet is enough?

Probably a couple of "Lucky" Stores in San Francisco that Safeway could buy for a song, too. That company could use the proceeds to buy some inventory to get the shelves stocked in its stores. I think one of them is pretty good sized...

By reading through the comments section it appears Safeway has managed to scuttle the plans, and with good reason. This plan didn't offer them better than what they have now.

The other interesting part is that it says Safeway owns the store but not the parking lots; they lease those.

Part of the photo archive for the "San Francisco Call-Bulletin" newspaper was donated to U.C. Berkeley's Bancroft Library. That collection apparently has photo negatives of the Market/Duboce Street Safeway store as it prepared to open in 1954. See the index listing below:

New Safeway supermarket to open at Market and Duboce Streets [05-03-54, 5 negatives]

New Safeway Grocery Store -- Market Street(May 03, 1954) BANC PIC 1959.010--NEG, Part 3, Box 49, [05-03-54.01]

Physical Description: 5 negatives
Scope and Content Note

Bay zone manager Quentin Reynolds, store manager John Sutich, district manager Jack O'Connell, and Northern California division manager Carl Bartlett stand by turnstile and store directory in Safeway market. Head meat cutter Kenneth Hamel and Sutich stand in meat pre-pack room. View of exterior of store at Market and Duboce streets (neighborhood). Overall views of inside of supermarket.