The dark storefront at 660 San Ramon Valley Blvd. now has a named prospective tenant. At the Danville Planning Commission's September 8 meeting, Chief of Planning David Crompton said the Sycamore Square property owner had entered into an agreement with Whole Foods Market for the former Lucky California space. He also said the agreement was still in a contingency period, so the grocer's arrival is not guaranteed.
Whole Foods has not announced a Danville store, but the possibility now rests on a planning official's on-the-record update. That update also points to how this vacancy is likely to play out. The building has been a full-size supermarket for decades, and the most likely next tenant is another full-size supermarket. Most of the wait will come from construction.
A building that keeps changing names and keeps selling groceries
Lucky's exit in July ended one chapter of a long run at the same address. DanvilleSanRamon reported that the grocery store had anchored Sycamore Square for multiple decades, though the name on the sign changed several times:
- Lucky, for the store's early decades at the center
- Albertson's, after a parent-company acquisition in 1999
- Lucky again in 2007, after Save Mart bought the brand the year before
- Lucky California in 2019, when Save Mart converted the store to that concept
- Closed on Friday, July 17, 2026, according to signs posted on the doors and at the checkout stations
Phil Keene, a communications director for The Save Mart Companies, told the outlet the decision was "based on economic factors." He added, "Through the normal course of business, we sometimes have to make the tough decision to close an underperforming location." The closing signs sent shoppers to Lucky's other nearby store at 21001 San Ramon Valley Blvd. in San Ramon.
Every company that has run this store in the past quarter century kept it a supermarket. The Whole Foods deal would extend that history rather than start something new.
What the planning chief actually said
The Danville Dispatch laid out how fast things moved over the summer. In early August, the Town said it had received no application and had nothing new to share about the space. A month later, Crompton was describing a prospective tenant, an interior rebuild and the likely scope of exterior work.
The San Francisco Chronicle's account of his update, which can also be watched in the commission meeting video, covered these points:
- Footprint: Whole Foods is not expected to expand beyond the former Lucky space.
- Interior: The property owner would demolish the interior, including the concrete floor, leaving an empty shell for the grocer to build out.
- Exterior: Changes appear limited, likely new signage and some work near the front of the building.
- Parking lot: The project is expected to trigger requirements for electric vehicle chargers.
- Timing: Crompton estimated the work could take about a year.
The Dispatch summed up the status this way: "In plain English, this is a real deal in progress, not a finished one." It also noted that Whole Foods has not announced a Danville store and the Town has not approved a completed project.
Why the wait is about concrete, not tenants
Finding a tenant moved quickly here. Lucky closed in July, and a contingent grocery deal was on the public record by early September.
What comes next is slower. Breaking out a concrete floor and handing over a bare shell is a full rebuild of the inside of the store, followed by the grocer's own build-out. The Dispatch was careful to say Crompton's estimate of roughly a year covers construction and is not an opening date. It also assumes the contingency period ends with a deal. For anyone counting months, the clock starts when work begins. It did not start when the Lucky signs came down.
Outside, the planning chief described a short list of visible changes: EV chargers in the parking lot, new signage, and some work near the front of the building. Beyond that, by his description, the building would look much as it does now.
The rest of Sycamore Square is still doing business
A dark anchor can make a whole center feel closed, but the empty space is one storefront among many. The center's listing on Shopping in Danville names these neighbors:
- CVS Pharmacy
- Melo's Pizza and Pasta
- YogaSix
- The UPS Store
- Creative Paint
- All Fur Love Grooming
- H&R Block
- Made to Fit Alterations
- Modern Nails
- Learn and Play Montessori School
That directory still lists Lucky Supermarket too, so it's worth calling ahead before a special trip to any one shop. The Chronicle noted that Crompton expects the construction to stay inside the former Lucky footprint, with only limited exterior work.
Danville tends to refill spaces with the same kind of business
The same thing happened downtown this year. Nico Tzikas, who runs Rancho Cantina in Lafayette with his family, opened a second location at 501 Hartz Ave. in the former home of Cocina Hermanas. A Mexican kitchen replaced a Mexican kitchen. Diablo Magazine reported a menu built around "vaquero" platters cooked over an almond wood live-fire grill, along with a bigger bar than the Lafayette original. Patch reported the restaurant open by September 1. Tzikas told Diablo, "We are incredibly grateful and excited to serve the Danville community."
A few blocks away, Virtue + Vice at 267 Hartz Ave. served its last meals in mid-September, more than four years after opening in spring 2022. DanvilleSanRamon reported that its Wednesday-night Dine for a Cause program raised more than $100,000 for local nonprofits over that time. As of early October, the space was listed for lease and no new tenant had been announced.
Here is the difference in scale. A restaurant space on Hartz can turn over in a season. A former supermarket that needs a new floor needs an estimated year of construction once work begins, even with a grocer already lined up.
Where the weekly grocery run goes in the meantime
The Chronicle listed the grocers Danville still has after Lucky's closure: Safeway, Trader Joe's, Lunardi's Markets and Smart & Final Extra. Today, the nearest Whole Foods stores are in San Ramon and Walnut Creek, since the chain has no store inside Danville.
Trader Joe's, 85 Railroad Ave., downtown
Safeway, 3496 Camino Tassajara, on the east side of town
Lucky, 21001 San Ramon Valley Blvd. in San Ramon, the location the Danville store's closing signs pointed to
Danville Farmers' Market, 205 Railroad Ave., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., open year-round, so it stays an option for produce through the winter
What would move this from "could" to "will"
The Danville Dispatch put the remaining uncertainty well: "The complicated part is everything between 'could' and 'open.'" These are the public signals that would close that gap, roughly in the order they would likely arrive:
- The contingency period ends. The agreement between the owner and Whole Foods becomes final, or it falls apart.
- Whole Foods announces a Danville store. As of the Dispatch's September 24 issue, the company had not.
- An application reaches the Town. Signage, exterior work near the entrance and the EV chargers are the pieces most likely to show up in Town records.
- Demolition starts inside. The floor removal Crompton described would be the first sign of construction.
- New signs go up. This is the last exterior change before an opening.
The Planning Commission's October 13 meeting was cancelled, and the Town's calendar set the next one for October 27. Commission agendas and meeting videos are posted through the Town's Granicus portal, which also hosts the video of the September 8 meeting.
Changes to an anchor space like the old Lucky can affect daily errands and how a neighborhood center feels to the homes around it. If you'd like to talk through what Sycamore Square's next chapter could mean for your street, or you're just curious how a contingent commercial deal like this usually moves through Danville, Team Fondnazio is always glad to compare notes. Let's Connect.
