A Safeway supermarket at 6150 Bollinger Road in San Jose is set to close permanently around November 13, ending 57 years of service to the surrounding neighborhood.
Safeway confirmed the planned closure to SFGATE but declined to explain the decision behind shutting down the South Bay store.
The Bollinger Road location is one of several Safeway stores that have closed across the Bay Area in recent years, with earlier shutdowns affecting sites in Pinole, Hayward, Vallejo, and San Francisco.
A Neighborhood Spot for Students
Beyond groceries, the supermarket has served as an informal gathering place for local middle and high school students.
According to SFGATE, students have used the store to spend time together on minimum school days and to practice everyday skills through alternative diploma programs.
Those activities include learning how to navigate a supermarket, find products, and pay for purchases.
The closure will end the store's role as a neighborhood setting for these practical learning experiences.
Safeway's parent company, Albertsons, has also drawn scrutiny over its property management practices and proposed housing developments at supermarket sites across the Bay Area.
A July investigation by SFGATE found that Albertsons had kept properties it owned vacant or included lease restrictions preventing businesses from selling groceries at certain locations.
The investigation identified at least seven California supermarket buildings owned by the company that had experienced long-term vacancies.
In September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation intended to limit those practices, according to SFGATE.
Safeway has meanwhile pursued several mixed-use housing redevelopment proposals with Align Real Estate this year, involving sites in San Francisco's Marina District, Outer Richmond, Bernal Heights, and Fillmore District.
The planned Bollinger Road closure comes amid these broader changes affecting Safeway properties throughout the region.
The company has not publicly provided a reason for shutting down the San Jose location, according to SFGATE.
