For anyone who has ever shopped at the new Whole Foods in Oakland (near Lake Merritt), it is no surprise that the store receives excellent reviews. (Click here for a video tour.)

What is most remarkable about this store is not its architecture however (designed by Lowney Architecture), or even its food offerings (although it is impressive), it is that this Whole Foods is the best local example of a grocery store that fits into the New Urbanism concept (or old urbanism, or however you prefer to regard “new urbanism”).

This is what the store looks like from the street (it is a renovated Cadillac dealership, originally dating back to the 1890s)…

And this is what it looks like from above (there is parking on the roof, with an elevator to the store level)…

Grocery stores — new or old — do not typically fit into the concept of New Urbanism. The traditional grocery store design usually places the building at the back of the lot, and offers a very large parking lot in front. Below are some local examples.

Lucky in Hercules…

Raley’s in El Sobrante…

Lucky in El Cerrito…

And even the new Trader Joe’s in Pinole…

In all of these parcels, as is typical of suburban grocery stores, the (very large) parking lots are in front. Without fail, this breaks the continuity of the neighborhood.

If Parcel C — the land formerly owned by Walmart — is destined to be the waterfront grocery store (as been rumored by a former City Councilmember), then we must make sure that the store does not follow the typical mold of grocery stores, and instead, embraces the walkable community that surrounds it. That means, bringing the storefront to the street, and placing parking behind and/or on top. That way, the local community will be able to enjoy the store, without walking through an endless and unsightly maze of cars (and it also allows for street-side terraces for outdoor seating).

Grocery stores do not easily lend themselves to New Urbanism (they are car-centric devices), but that doesn’t mean we can’t try, and following the mold of the Whole Foods in Oakland is good first step (including retaining Lowney Architecture for the job).