Acadia Realty to Host Whole Foods in SF’s Western Addition

At the same time other retailers decamp from San Francisco, Whole Foods Market plans to open a new location.

Acadia Realty Trust expects to help open a controversial location for the grocery chain in San Francisco’s Western Addition in two years.

The New York area-based real estate investment trust plans to lease space to the upscale market at its City Center shopping plaza at 2675 Geary Boulevard in Anza Vista, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, citing a second-quarter earnings call.

Kenneth Bernstein, CEO at Acadia, said he expected the grocery store’s opening to be “a ’25 event.”

The city’s Planning Commission is expected to approve the Whole Foods site as soon as this fall after an inquiry requested by the Board of Supervisors found the store’s impact on air quality would be “less than significant,” according to the newspaper.

The Whole Foods opening represents a bit of good news for the San Francisco retail industry, which has shrunk with the exit of a number of brand names. AT&T, Nordstrom, Old Navy, H&M and Crate & Barrel are among the retailers that have closed locations.

Store opponents had prevented its opening at Geary Boulevard and Masonic Avenue for three years, citing environmental, noise and traffic concerns. Numerous unions also opposed the Whole Foods, saying its nonunion workforce would lead to lower-paying jobs.

After the Planning Commission exempted the redevelopment of the former Sears store site from an environmental study, the Board of Supervisors voted in 2020 to require one anyway.

Other local residents complained the review process had hindered the neighborhood’s ability to draw jobs during the pandemic.

The Whole Foods Market would add grocery options in a neighborhood next to the Richmond District near well-heeled Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights and Laurel Heights. For decades, the shopping center not far from Target and Trader Joe’s was home to the largest Sears in Northern California.

The Anza Vista store would be the seventh market for Whole Foods in San Francisco.

In April, Austin-based Whole Foods Market pulled the plug on its largest grocery store in the city at 1177 Market Street. After 12 months, the grocery chain owned by Seattle-based Amazon.com closed the Mid-Market location, citing deteriorating street condition and safety concerns for its employees.

— Dana Bartholomew