Pet Store Targets Alto Center

The game of musical chairs at the Alto Center looks to continue this month as Pet Food Express, a retailer with 41 stores in the Bay Area and three in Marin, seeks approval to open into two vacant storefronts in the Alto Center between and .

The chain is seeking a conditional use permit (CUP) to open a pet food and supply store and an accessory pet washing station in a 4,456-square-foot space that combines 741 and 743 East Blithedale Ave., adjacent spaces that were previously occupied by a dry cleaner and an optometrist. The matter heads to the Planning Commission tonight at 7 p.m. at .

The application (see staff report, at right) from the pet store is the first major arrival in the wake of . First Washington Realty, based in Bethesda, Md., paid more than $12 million for a 19,886-square-foot section of the Alto Center from a partnership headed by HG Capital of Menlo Park. The section includes the stretch between Whole Foods and the U.S Postal Service, as well as the perpendicular strip between the and , including .

In April 2010, moved from 741 East Blithedale to a space along the perpendicular strip. Late last month, moved from 743 East Blithedale to 250 Camino Alto, according to a spokesperson for optometrist Robert Christensen.

at the center, with frequent backups on weekdays in the late afternoon. Caffe Oggi owner Antonio Caruso said he supports the opening of Pet Food Express next to his restaurant but would like to see some remedy from the ongoing parking glut in the center.

“It continues to be an issue and it’s affecting my business a lot,” he said.

Pet Food Express proposes to be open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. No pets of any kind will be for sale at the store, although customers will have access to a small pet washing station in the space. The store will have five full-time employees.

Tonight’s Planning Commission meeting is at City Hall, 26 Corte Madera Avenue. The meeting is webcast live and archived from the city’s website.