This week we had the opportunity to see the almost final rendition of Big Saver's building plan.

The E. 7th Street Collaboration of RPNA, Craftsman Village, NABA, JMRED, Suja Lowenthal and Robert Garcia's staffs have been meeting monthly to discuss and propose improvements on E. 7th from Redondo to Alamitos. 

Meetings with Big Saver owner Mr. Solanki and his staff informed them of our desires for the look of the street and helped them understand the importance of this large property in our neighborhood.

Mr. Solanki had an original facade plan that was not representative of the historic flavor of this area but was open to revision because he wants to be a good neighbor and hopes the residents will shop at his store.

Derek Burnham and Mark Hungerford from LB Planning Department attended our meetings and promised to work with Mr. Solanki toward an acceptable facade.

The work involved several iterations as you can see from the pictures below.  The main objective was to avoid "mock or faux" material on the building, try to keep the integrity of the Marina Safeway building but modernize it and introduce a "nod" to Craftsman architecture.

The plan is not complete.  Parking lot lighting and signage are still being planned (the tall Big Lots sign will go away)

The quality of the material is of the highest standard and we are fortunate that Mr. Solanki is amenable to investing in this property and that our planning department looked out for us in such a dedicated way.   Wells Fargo Bank will be residing in the SE section, as pictured.

A 10 foot green area will be on E. 7th side of the site.

It is important now to voice our desires for product selection in this new market.  Supporting the market may lead us to a nice deli or coffee area.

RPNA will be sending a survey to gather information to submit to Mr. Solanki.  Please participate.

All comments and suggestions should be sent to info@rpna.org