LAKEPORT — Safeway Stores closed escrow on Willow Tree Shopping Center in Lakeport recently, and plans to expand the existing store and reconfigure the shopping center wait on approval from the Lakeport City Council.
Safeway plans to expand the existing store by 6,640 square feet, for a total of a 49,000-square-foot store. That will mean moving adjoining stores to accommodate the expansion, but which ones and to what location is still being negotiated, according to Safeway Spokesperson Esperanza Greenwood.
“We have the store there and we”re always looking for an opportunity to expand the store, and this opportunity came up,” said Greenwood. She said the transaction has been in the works for several years. Greenwood said the grocery store chain has approached the city with plans for the shopping center, but won”t have a dollar figure on the project until the plans are approved and the project goes out to bid.
According to the Lake County Assessor”s Office, escrow closed Aug. 24 on the center. It is home to such chains as Safeway, Subway and Hallmark, as well as many other outlets more specific to Lake County, such as Willow Point Dental Center, All About Me boutique and Catfish Books. The center was owned by Seagulls LLC.
Lakeport Mayor Roy Parmentier confirmed that Safeway Stores brought plans to the city and that they will go before the council at some point in the future.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
