Alamo Placita

Safeway to Present New Plans

May 07, 1998

Nearly two years after Safeway first proposed redevelopment of its store on Sixth Avenue between Corona and Downing Streets, Safeway unveiled its plans at APNA's general meeting on Tuesday, December 2, 1997. The meeting was held jointly with Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods (CHUN).
Safeway had acquired options to purchase eight houses south of its present site to build a larger, modern store. After Mayor Webb and the Denver Planning Office stated their opposition to the demolition of eight homes, Councilman Ed Thomas sponsored a series of meetings between Safeway and the neighborhood in which APNA, CHUN, and the Planning Office participated.
Neighborhood representatives agreed that the present store, built in 1969, needed to be improved or replaced. However, they also expressed concerns about further expansion of the business into the residential neighborhood, and noted that CHUN and area residents had successfully opposed safeway's 1979 plan to tear down four houses for expansion.
After extended negotiations, Safeway has come forward with a revised plan addressing these concerns. Safeway has agreed to limit the "footprint" of the new store to about 33,000 square feet. The present store is about 23,000 square feet. To maximize the retail space in the new store, Safeway will evacuate a basement under the new store for storage and backroom operations.
Safeway has also commited to a new store that blends well with our turn-of-the-century neighborhood. Architect Staely Pouw of Pouw & Associates, who was responsible for the sensitive restoration of Dora Moore School at Ninth and Corona several years ago, has designed a store reminiscent brickwork and ceramic glazed tile in a palette of appropriate colors. (No more Pepto-Bismol pink!) The parking lot will be enclosed by an attractive brick and iron fence in similiar design.
Safeway has agreed to many other design features to make the store as compatible with the residential neighborhood as possible. Extensive landscaping will be installed and maintained around the perimeter of the property. Pedestrian acc