This Safeway on S.F. Peninsula is next in line for housing

March 11, 2026 - 13:53

A longstanding Safeway grocery store on the San Mateo peninsula is poised to be redeveloped into a significant new housing complex. Plans submitted to the city propose demolishing the existing single-story market to make way for a dense, multi-story residential building.

The proposal, put forward by a San Francisco-based developer, aims to address the region's critical housing shortage by adding hundreds of new units to the neighborhood. While specific architectural details and unit counts are pending further city review, the project represents a growing trend of utilizing underused commercial parcels for residential purposes, especially near transit and existing community services.

The current Safeway is a neighborhood fixture, and its potential closure will undoubtedly impact local shopping habits. The development plan is expected to include a replacement grocery store, likely within the new building's ground floor, to maintain essential retail services for area residents. The project is in its earliest stages and will require extensive community input and several rounds of approvals from San Mateo’s planning commission and city council before any construction could begin. This process will evaluate the proposal's scale, design, and traffic implications alongside the pressing need for new housing.