Clyde Hill News: Local grocery store changes ahead
Clyde Hill News: Local grocery store changes ahead
Also: August primary ballots in mail; planning commission deliberations continue
Clyde Hill residents can expect an ownership change to their closest grocery stores as a result of the proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger.
More details on this topic below, along with an update about continued deliberations by the city’s planning commission about changes to the city’s development regulations. But first, a reminder to please vote in the August primary election. The deadline to return ballots to King County Elections is August 6 (link):
Disclaimer: while I am a councilmember on the Clyde Hill City Council, I write this newsletter in my capacity as an individual resident. Any opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily the position of the city. City information and references here are from public sources. I welcome email responses — and if the topic is about city business I will respond from my city email account.
QFC changing hands
Ownership of the two grocery stores closest to Clyde Hill will likely change soon as part of the proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger, according to DowntownBellevue.com (link). It’s not clear what a change in ownership would mean for residents. According to the article,
“the proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger will result in the sale of many grocery stores, including those in Bellevue… Kroger, which owns QFC and Fred Meyer, and Albertsons, which owns Safeway and Haggen, are planning to sell these stores. To gain regulatory approval for their $25 billion merger, the two companies have offered to sell their stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers…”
The five stores in Bellevue to be sold include these two, close to Clyde Hill:
According to another news report, the potential new owner committed to “keep all of the stores open and honor any labor agreements.” (link)
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson “has been vocal about his concerns about a potential Kroger-Albertsons merger,” according to MyNorthwest.com (link).
In a statement in January when he “filed a lawsuit on behalf of the state” (link), Ferguson said “Shoppers will have fewer choices and less competition, and that results in higher prices.” (link)
Planning commission continues deliberating
The planning commission will continue discussing a proposed change to city regulations regarding variances at their monthly meeting next week (link).
For context, the city council agreed unanimously on a change to this code back in January 2023 (link).
Last month, the planning commission discussed the proposed change for two hours, ultimately agreeing to pick the discussion back up this month. This month’s discussion includes a seventh alternative for the proposed change from city staff for the commission to consider, in response to last month’s discussion.
Impact of changes
The proposed change may help the Queen Bee Cafe stay in business, according to a public comment at last month’s meeting. A representative of the firm that owns the cafe discussed the cafe’s current
“financial burden in regards to insurance costs and the financing uncertainty if there was an accident and [they] were unable to rebuild the structure as it currently exists.” (link)
It appears that after the completion of construction of the building currently housing the Queen Bee, the City of Clyde Hill changed its setback requirements. If the current structure were destroyed or substantially damaged, according to information presented at the city council meeting in November 2019, the current owner could only rebuild on ~270sq ft of the lot — about the same space as two Ford F-150s take up:
Commission openings ahead
The planning commission consists of five residents, appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council, who meet to “make recommendations to the city council” (link) on decisions related to development regulations like this one.
Three positions on the planning commission have terms expiring at the end of this year. Information on how to apply is not yet available; a previous issue of this newsletter discussed the application process (link). Expect more information as it’s available from the city; if you have questions in the meantime, feel free to reply to this email.
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Dean Hachamovitch