One D.C. supermarket to shutter, while another closes for renovations
By: Staff Reports
April 21, 2009
D.C. residents around Georgetown and the neighborhoods due north will have fewer grocery options in coming months as one store closes for renovations and another shuts its doors permanently.
The Safeway on Wisconsin Avenue, known as the “Social Safeway” for the socializing that occurs there, is slated to close Sunday for an extensive remodeling as part of a plan to update the chain’s stores around the region.
The owners of Balducci’s on New Mexico Avenue announced earlier this month that they plan to close permanently the week of June 29, according to the Washington Business Journal.
Residents still will have a Giant Food and a Whole Foods, both on Wisconsin Avenue, within 1.5 miles of the two closed stores, plus a bevy of smaller independent markets offering foods.
But the Giant, too, is eyeing plans to undergo a big overhaul as part of a mixed-use development project. It is still early in the planning process, though. The plans are slated for review Thursday in a zoning hearing.
In the meantime, Safeway shoppers who want to stick with their brand can shop online during construction, according to a store brochure. Residents in certain ZIP codes will be able to order groceries online and get free delivery starting April 13, and a temporary pharmacy will be open across from the construction site.
