East Oakland Finally Gets a Grocery Store

East Oakland will likely soon see its first national grocery  outlet in the area in over 20 years, according to the city's Community and  Economic Development Agency.

Kroger, the nation's largest traditional grocery retailer, is  poised to open two grocery stores in underserved areas of East Oakland at  66th Avenue and San Leandro Street and at Foothill Square Shopping Center at  10700 MacArthur Blvd., according to the Economic Development Agency.

Each 72,000-square-foot store is expected to provide more than 100  jobs and generate $50,000 in sales tax revenue. Both are expected to open by  the end of 2012.

"This deal is a win-win for Kroger and the residents of Oakland,"  District Six Councilwoman Desley Brooks said in a prepared statement. "There  is currently no national grocery chain in my district and none have opened  here for over two decades."

Foods Co., branded under Kroger, has signed a letter of intent  with the developer at the Foothill Shopping Center, according to the Economic  Development Agency. Plans are scheduled to move forward after permitting and  an environment review processes are complete.

The 66th Avenue location is a former cannery owned by the city's  Redevelopment Agency, and is one of 10 sites for which the city solicited  development proposals last fall.

"The responses from the development community reflect a strong  belief in Oakland's retail potential," said Economic Development Agency  deputy director Gregory Hunter in a prepared statement.

The Redevelopment Agency is currently in negotiations with Foods  Co. about the old cannery property, according to the Economic Development  Agency.