The proposed design for the new 58,000-square-foot Admiral Safeway store, which will also include residential units in the development, was presented last week at the Hiawatha Community Center.

Nearly 30 people listened as representatives from Fuller Sears Architects, the firm retained for the project, Steve Johnson and Bill Fuller, presented with Safeway representative Sara Corn. They emphasized that the current plan is flexible, and said they took into account feedback from spring and summer meetings with the Admiral Neighborhood Association and other organizations impacted by the construction and design.

The 58,000 square foot grocery store will be situated in roughly the same space as the current, 32,000 square foot market, with a 34-unit residential building under 40 feet tall hugging its east side along 42nd Avenue.

There will be additional rooftop parking, and a new 7,000 square foot retail building that they hope will contain a restaurant. That structure will sit just south of the Washington Mutual Bank on California Avenue. The house currently on the southeast corner of the property will be removed and a rezoning will be sought.

"What we heard from the community is to strengthen the connection between the retail and visibility and viability on California Avenue," said Fuller.

He pointed out that the current west and south walls are drab. Not so with the new structure, he said.

"We're going to green them up," Fuller said, referring to plantings sunk into the sidewalk perimeters. The south side, currently the loading dock, will have windows. There will be tables and chairs around the building's outdoor perimeter.

One area resident was concerned that residents of the new units and shoppers would be competing for parking on the roof. Another was concerned about bright rooftop lighting.

Fuller said the plan called for bright, but low hanging lights with covers to avoid what he called "light pollution" that would not allow light to spill out of the immediate car lot, and added that cars would be obscured by walls and virtually unseen from ground level.

They seemed receptive to the desires voiced by local residents and business owners for a new bus stop on California in front of the new grocery store. However, all three presenters pointed out that experience has shown that when a bus stops right at Safeway's front entrance rather than, say, 100 feet shy of the entrance, criminal behavior increases.

"They will see the bus starting to leave from inside the store, grab a 12-pack of beer, race out of the store (without paying) and hop onto the moving bus," said Fuller, while Johnson and Corn nodded.

"We're looking at 16-months of demolition and construction once we complete the zoning process," said Corn, adding that Safeway wants to move along as quickly as possible to minimize impact to its customers, employees and neighborhood businesses and residents.

The Southwest Design Review Board will review the project Thursday, Sept. 25, 6:30 p.m. at the Southwest Police Precinct. The meeting is open to the public.

Steve Shay can be reached at steves@robinsonnews.com.