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As the current de facto grocery store reporter here at TBD, the news that developer Marc Dubick, formerly of Los Angeles-based Lowe Enterprises, is close to reaching a deal with Safeway to redevelop its Petworth location (reported this morning by Jonathan O'Connell) certainly intrigues.

Dubick is the same developer behind the wildly successful CityVista near Mt. Vernon Square, which the Business Journal reports today has just been sold to Gables Residential for an undisclosed price. That sale should be read as further indication of just how well CityVista has been doing despite opening in the middle of the recession — nearly all of its 441 condos have reportedly been sold, most of its apartments have been rented, and only a fraction of the retail space in the building remains available.

But before Petworth residents start salivating at the prospect of a brand new grocery store and yet more condos, it naturally looks like any kind of final plan is still a ways off, according to Capital Business:

Dubick said the Petworth development would have two levels of underground parking and could be designed either as apartments or condos, depending on the housing market. Needed zoning changes are likely to require at least a year. "We'll see where the world takes us," he said. "Whatever it will be, it will be high-end, top-quality housing."

The Petworth Safeway is one of the last stores located inside the District yet to receive the grocer's "lifestyle" makeover. It's also exactly the sort of old-school, suburban-style design that tends to lead to overcrowding in an urban environment.