Will Salvation Army's Thrift Store Leave Alameda?

The future of Salvation Army's Alameda Thrift Store at 1918 Park St. remains up in the air as the charity's 10-year lease on its current building is about to end May 1.

"For Lease" signs have been prominently displayed on the store's building and parking lot fence for a few weeks and its owner now says he does not yet know if the thrift store will renew its lease. Because of the uncertainty, he is entertaining offers from other prospective tenants.

The property owner, Pak Yip of San Francisco, said the 15,400 square foot building and 11,000 square foot parking lot is currently leased for $15,500 a month to the Salvation Army. He said he intends to increase the monthly rent to $17,850.  A five year-lease is being sought.

The site is zoned for retail use, he said.

Yip said during Salvation Army's tenancy he has invested one milliion dollars into the building, making energy-efficient utility and safety upgrades.

About two and a half weeks ago, Yip said, he forwarded a copy of the current lease to Salvation Army officials, who had requested it, but has still not heard back from the agency as to whether it plans to stay.

"If they are not moved out by May 1," said Yip, "my attorney will have to contact them."

Sydney Fong, a Salvation Army representative who handles press inquiries in Northern California, was contacted by Patch on Monday, but said he was unaware of the lease renewal issue and would have to obtain information from another department within the charity to respond.

Today, Cindy Engler, a Salvation Army Community Relations Director responded to Patch saying, "The Salvation Army is currently in the process of trying to negotiate a lease with Mr. Yip for the property.  The Salvation Army has enjoyed being a part of the Alameda community for the past 10 years and hopes to continue to do the most good in the area.  The Salvation Army can provide no further details on lease negotiations at this time. "

An employee of the Alameda Salvation Army Thrift Store told Patch on Monday that a supervisor had tried to reassure staff that the store would be staying open, although they were not sure they could meet the additional rent increase and the charity might be trying to negotiate better terms for any future lease.

Yip said he has heard from a few others inquiring about the space.  He said interested parties can contact him at 415-813-9915 or at paklyip@gmail.com.

He said Salvation Army still has time to respond and he is eager to hear back from them about their intentions.

Yip revealed he also owns a separate, approximately 12,000 square foot piece of vacant property on Clement, located about 200 feet away from the Salvation Army Store.  He said he does not have plans certain for that parcel at this time, but that he has considered building apartments over ground-floor retail space there, assuming he can obtain approval from city planning authorities.

The north end of Park Street has been in a state of transition for awhile as long-time automobile dealerships in the area have closed and new retail business has taken root. Zoning in the area is currently under discussion by the City.

As more information becomes available, Patch will update this story.