City Orders Environmental Review for Retail Project

BRENTWOOD, CA-The Brentwood City Council has approved a contract for an environmental review of the proposed Safeway shopping center project, despite protests from residents near the proposed site.

The contract was awarded to EIP Associates. The site is located at the intersection of Balfour Road and Fairview Avenue, two miles from the Downtown core. The property is owned by Balfour Properties LLC. The developer has not submitted a formal application.

Citizens and environmental groups have criticized the council for rezoning the site from residential to commercial and raised concerns about the store sucking business from the pedestrian-oriented Downtown core. The environmental report is required for submittal to the city’s planning commission.

Among other things, it will discuss the impact of an oil and gas pipeline that lies beneath the property. The pipeline, which is owned by Kinder Morgan, leaked about 10 years ago, contaminating the property’s soil and groundwater. Remediation was undertaken and is nearly completed.