OB People’s Food has just purchased property immediately to the east of its current parking lot, which will increase the organic food store’s parking availability. Parking – or lack of – has been one of the biggest problems that has accompanied the success of the store, officially called Ocean Beach People’s Organic Food Market.
Nancy Casady, executive director told the OB Rag this morning about the very recent purchase. The property consists of 1300 square feet that includes two rental units – one is occupied currently with a long-term tenant.
4747 Voltaire
The new property located at 4747 Voltaire Street – immediately behind Tiny’s Tavern – will allow the store to increase its parking by 6 to 7 spaces in the rear of the newly-bought lot, accessible from the alley. The wall that separates the parking area from the new spaces will be torn down, allowing shoppers access either from the alley or the entrance to the main parking lot. Once improved, the new parking spaces will be contiguous with the rest of the parking area.
The new property will also allow the store to have several options in its development in the future. In the meantime, the empty rental unit will probably be turned into employee housing, said Casady.
Aerial view from google maps shows duplex and back yard. (Tiny’s Tavern symbol is incorrectly placed as the bar is to the east of the newly-purchased property.)
If anyone has questions, Nancy said, have folks call her at 619-224-1387.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Bummer, they should have taken that money and set up a system to promote taking public transportation to the co-op. Why spend a boatload of money to make it easier for people to drive their car here.
Better spent on wages so employees can actually afford to rent in OB.
People’s should be discouraging automobile traffic rather than catering to it.
C’mon guys – OB People’s is the largest employer in OB. They are successful and many, many people come here from all over to shop there. Do you complain when other markets expand their selves? To nitpick on People’s cuz they’re expanding an obvious problematic and badly designed parking lot, and complain this one store is not doing enough to enhance or encourage mass transit is beyond my comprehension.
ALthouth Obcean, you’ve got a point about rents in OB; altho maybe Peoples will help to subsidize the employees in this housing.
I would certainly complain when “when other markets expand their selves,” however the only other comparable market in the neighbor went out of business. I think questionable issue here is why would a market that likes to promote a more natural and local way for people to get their food use their cash reserves to promote vehicle transportation to their storefront. If places as principled as peoples do not have the courage to take a stand on things like helping to minimize the number of vehicles traveling to their store, than what companies will?
Also, I think calling the current parking lot badly designed is an unnecessary slam to the designers (btw it was an OB local firm, hanna gabriel wells that designed it) and the outcome, they maximized the available parking on the site. what more could have been done to fit more cars in there?
Allocation of resources is the issue Molly. People’s is always in support and backs progressive causes. One such cause would be “A Livable Wage.” Does People’s pay a livable wage? NO! It is a low paying job, maybe they have a lot of employees but I’d think in all it’s ‘Progressive’ championing would be seeking, quality of quantity.
Parking lots are blight. This is a bad move on People’s part. The store is jam packed already without the extra convenience of additional parking.
I have been a member for more than 20 years. People’s needs to be focusing on being a Co-op not a capitalist style market. We have enough of those already.
People will complain about anything……. I opened this expecting to see someone whine about wages and car transit. Idealism is funny.
Complaining about people complaining. Awesome!
Where am I complaining? I’m just stating an obvious fact. It doesn’t cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote public transportation – and it’s unrealistic to think people aren’t going to drive to People’s either way. It’s quite ridiculous for myself or my girlfriend to wait and take a bus 9 blocks when we can drive our (fuel efficient) car there. We bike whenever we can but once a week we buy enough groceries that it’s impossible to carry via bike. I don’t see the problem with taking your vehicle so that you can manage the 6+ bags worth of food bought at the store. I can assure you there are hundreds more customers in the same position as myself. Not to mention the fact that many People’s customers don’t live within walking/biking distance. Those people most likely don’t want to take an extra hour or so to commute via bike or bus.
LOL!
Bummer for the “long term tenants” getting the boot. Otherwise, parking is a good thing. I usually ride my bike on the rare occasion I visit People’s (not rich, can’t afford all organic all the time), but let me tell you what a bitch it was to try and squeeze my Excursion into that lot…
Not to mention the dirty looks I got for driving it there at all, though considering I had the thing running off about 60% recycled fryer oil it was probably as efficient, if not more so than the Civic I drive today…
Dave,
Where does it say they are booting the current tenant? I see they are going to use the currently unoccupied second unit of the duplex for employee housing.
My question is: Are they providing off-street parking for the rental units?
Otherwise, they are just moving the parking issue from the market customers to the tennants.
Suffering foot-in-mouth disease…I didn’t notice that only one side of the duplex was occupied. But you make a good point in providing off-street parking for any tenants, existing or otherwise. I find that in OB a minimum of one space per bedroom is sufficient, though that’s a rather lofty goal…
I mostly walk to People’s, but sometimes, big confession: I drive. Egads!!! It’s not realistic to expect people with whole families to feed to carry all their groceries on public transit or on foot.
I’ve never found the parking lot to be much of a nightmare. a little busy sometimes, but there is usually a space. Adding another 6-7 is perfect.
The parking lot isn’t a nightmare. It’s the laziness of the patrons turning into the parking lot off Voltaire. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve almost rear-ended a People’s customer who suddenly decides to stop and turn into the lot without using a turn signal. Apparently eating organic weakens the arm muscles so much that they can’t exert the minor energy needed to flip a turn signal stalk (but evidently doesn’t stop one from chatting on one’s cellphone while driving).
Hefty price! 4747-4749 Voltaire St, SAN DIEGO, CA 92107 Sold on 9/4/13: $615,000
Not sure why People’s would want to be a landlord though? Does the dog that sits in the front door, barks in the front yard and goes after other dogs get to stay?
Can a permit be obtained to turn the zoning into commercial and it could be a coop for artisans in OB to sell their wares? Just a thought. An apartment in between a parking lot and bar doesn’t seem to be………..