T22- Downtown Store Will Be Closed J. C. Penney Co. Inc. announces that it will close its downtown Oakland store at 1106 Washington St. on April 3. The store is on property to be included in the Oakland City Center Redevelopment Project. District Manager C. E. Newell expressed regret over closing a store open since 1920. He also called attention to the firms new full-line store which opened Oct. 7 in the Easitmont Mall shopping center six miles from downtown Oakland. Newell said there has not been a decision yet as to whether Penneys will have a store in the City Center redevelopment project. He said there have been contacts between the developer, Grubb & Ellis Co. of Oakland, and the Penney real estate division. Meanwhile, in New York, the firm announced it plans to increase its overall store space by some 6 million gross square feet during the fiscal year beginning Jan. 31. The increased selling space will include 27 new Penney stores, six Treasury stores, and 25 Thrift Drug Stores, it said.