By CLAYTON PARK

When Safeway officials unveiled a scale model of the company's proposed new Pinehurst store nearly a year ago, an employee of the store decided to have a little fun by adding toy soldiers, unbeknownst to his managers.

The toy soldiers were removed after a few days, but the scene, depicted in the photo above, seems strangely symbolic of the real life battle that neighborhood activists have waged these past few months to block Safeway's plans to tear down four single-family homes to make way for the proposed superstore.

The opponents scored a victory on Aug. 19 when the Department of Design, Construction and Land Use (DCLU) recommended that the City reject Safeway's original proposal for the Pinehurst site, which called for rezoning several single-family zoned lots on the southeast corner of the block to NC3-40, to allow for construction of a commercial building up to 40 feet in height.

Safeway withdrew its original proposal in September and submitted a new proposal on Oct. 20, seeking a rezone of the same lots to NC2-30, which would allow a commercial structure of up to 30 feet in height.

As described in a document issued by DCLU, Safeway's latest proposal, "like its predecessor, includes demolishing all of the existing commercial and residential structures on the site, and developing a nearly 50,000-square-foot Safeway store on the south half of the site (replacing Safeway's current 24,000-square-foot store), with parking and vehicular access in the middle and northern portions of the site."

The plan calls for a number of features, designed to make the store compatible with the residential character of its neighbors to the east and south, including bays, gables, windows, trellises and asphalt shingle roofing. The project also calls for "substantial landscaping inside the south property line" and street trees along NE 123rd as well as along 15th and 16th Avenues NE. There would also be tree plantings throughout the 204-space surface parking lot, and a narrow arbor feature separating the parking lot from 15th Avenue NE.

Safeway's rationale for wanting to build a bigger store on the site is to be able to offer its customers a wider array of groceries, much like its other recently built superstores, including its store at 7300 Roosevelt Way NE.

"Although the residential neighborhood appears not to have changed appreciably for many years, the grocery business has," according to DCLU's own assessment of the situation. "The proponents (Safeway) urge that it requires a larger box and particular configuration, and the Department (DCLU) is comfortable deferring to their expertise in this regard. Groceries are crucial aspects of successful neighborhoods, and it is reasonable to conclude that this criterion favors the proposal."

So why the opposition to Safeway's plans?

According to DCLU, the City received seven comment letters regarding Safeway's original proposal, including one from Maple Leaf Community Council, one from a member of the Maple Leaf group who chose to express his personal views in extended fashion, and two from the Pinehurst Community Council. Only one of the seven letters expressed favor towards Safeway's rezone request, the rest voiced disapproval.

The opponents noted that the proposed commercial zoning "would not be compatible with the existing zoning and residential character in the Pinehurst neighborhood, nor would it be consistent with the Northgate Area (Comprehensive) Plan and the City's Comprehensive Plan. Commenters were also concerned about adequacy of public notice, need to preserve 'old growth' trees, need for extensive landscaping to buffer the residential zone from the proposed expanded commercial use, the pedestrian friendliness of the design and the ability of (DCLU) to follow through on Design Review Board recommendations," according to DCLU.

Opponents' recommendations included requiring Safeway to build underground parking rather than surface parking, improvement of the pedestrian frontage along 15th Avenue NE, and the need for native, drought-resistant trees and shrubs, not only at the perimeter of the site, but within the parking area as well.

The Pinehurst Community Council also urged provision of pedestrian access to the store, wide sidewalks, more street trees and benches, bicycle racks away from heavily traveled areas, vandal-proof art, incorporation of "some sort of Pinehurst theme into the interior design of the store (such as pine cone floor tiles or wall designs)," and the providing of a public bulletin board or information kiosk.

While those might seem like excessive demands, they aren't totally without merit. The Northgate Area Comprehensive Plan does indeed call for projects of a more pedestrian-friendly nature. It's all a part of the City's current push to create urban villages where people can live, work and play in the same neighborhood.

However, it should also be noted that the single-family homes that Safeway is proposing to demolish aren't exactly candidates for the next Street of Dreams home show. Two of them appear to be considerably run-down, perhaps beyond the point of repair, as is the aging commercial building that currently sits on the southwest corner of the site.

Furthermore, while there are several trees on the block, there do not appear to be any that I would consider "old-growth" - that is, trees that are more than 100-years-old.

DCLU's reaction to Safeway's second proposal? While it saw nothing wrong with Safeway's 30-foot-height request, DCLU recommended that the rezone request again be denied. "The proposal ... is not sufficiently consistent with applicable criteria to warrant approval," according to the department's recommendation.

It remains to be seen whether Safeway will submit yet another proposal.

From my perspective, both as an east Haller Lake resident and a frequent customer of the Pinehurst store, I hope Safeway WILL continue to try to get its new store built. However, it might be wise next time to pay a little closer attention to the Northgate Area Comprehensive Plan.