Target wants site at Geary and Masonic

by Paul Kozakiewicz

There is one chain store that wants to open in San Francisco that does not have a target on its back.

The national retail outlet Target hosted a community meeting July 22 with about 200 people, almost all of whom want the store to open at the former Sears site at Geary Boulevard and Masonic Avenue. One young girl held up a sign that said "I loveTarget."

The site Target is eyeing was most recently a Mervyn's store, which left for economic reasons. It would occupy about 103,000 square feet, on two levels, of the sprawling shopping mall, which has numerous other tenants.

Target, which has built a national brand mostly in the suburbs, is incorporating a new strategy to locate its retail outlets in urban areas. It is hoping to open two stores in the City, one at the old Sears site and one near the Metreon complex downtown.

Initial plans for the site call for softening the appearance of the mall to make it more inviting to the public.

According to architect Thom Lasley, the building would be painted in warm Earth-tone colors with multi-colored screens and some blade-like banners, which could be hung to break up the stark wall lines of the current building. As well, the Geary side of the mall, which is dark and uninviting, would be reconstructed to add display windows and other features. As well, wind turbines could be put on the roof of the building to help power the store's needs.

"It will be a Target experience," Lasley said.

The purpose of the meeting was to get community feedback before applying for permits and starting detailed architectural drawings.

Howard Epstein, the head of the Republican Party in San Francisco, wanted to know how many jobs the project would create and how much tax revenue would be produced for the city's general fund.

According to Target's regional development manager, John Dewes, there would be about 250 jobs created at each of the two planned city locations. He did not know how much tax revenue would be generated because the City is still crunching the numbers.

Some of the concerns expressed by the public included increased traffic in the area and the times and methods for unloading merchandise deliveries.

If the project moves forward, a full analysis of the traffic system will be facilitated. There is expected to be plenty of parking at the site, more than would be required under today's codes. Two of the site's four parking lots would have direct access to Target, which would sell food and pharmaceutical items as well as general merchandise.

For merchandise deliveries, there would be three or four deliveries a week. Target drivers deliver a trailer to the site and leave it for employees to unload. This means the driver can leave immediately, so there are no trucks standing by waiting for service.

Nick Belloni, a Richmond District resident and member of the SF Recreation and Park Department's Open Space Advisory Committee, wanted to know about the lease agreement between Target and the mall's owner.

That question was unanswerable because negotiations are still ongoing, said Adam Miller, speaking on behalf of KLA Geary, the property owners.

Dewes said Target is looking to make a long-term commitment to the neighborhood.

Many of the speakers said a department store for middle class people was long overdue. They go to the Target at Colma, so the new location will reduce vehicle traffic and be much more convenient for customers.

Target, which is based in Minneapolis, gives 5 percent of its individual store profits back to the community. Last year, the company contributed some $150 million to community causes via the program.

If all goes well, Target will spend the rest of this year getting permits and approval from the SF Planning Commission, which has to grant a Conditional Use Permit for the project. No Environmental Impact Report would be required because the new use would be similar to past uses at the site. Construction would occur in 2011 and the store would like to open in the Spring of 2012.