By LEAH WEATHERSBY

A Greenwood resident has filed an appeal in an effort to convince the City to reject a master-use permit application by Safeway for a new superstore the grocery store chain wants to build on the northeast corner of Greenwood Avenue and N. 87th Street.

The new superstore would replace the smaller, existing store that Safeway has operated on that site for many years. Safeway has been replacing a number of its older stores with superstore-format stores in recent years, including stores in the Crown Hill and Roosevelt neighborhoods.

Safewayıs plans for its proposed superstore in Greenwood are designed to make the building more pedestrian-friendly by reorienting the building so it sits at the front of the lot on Greenwood Avenue, closer to the sidewalk than its current store, which is set back away from the sidewalk, separated by a vast parking lot.

Michael McGinn said he filed an appeal with the City on Jan. 4 because he is concerned about some design elements of Safewayıs proposed Greenwood superstore.

The Greenwood residentıs main concerns stem from Safewayıs plans to include roof parking on the back of the new building. Safeway wants to place an entrance to the lot on N. 87th, but McGinn said that the area is already heavily impacted by cut-though traffic and that there are almost no safe walkways available to pedestrians.

McGinn thinks safety is a critical issue, especially with the Greenwood Boys & Girls Club nearby and a new Greenwood community park planned for the area.

As an alternative to Safewayıs proposal, McGinn would like to see a right turn only sign placed near the exit on N. 87th so that shoppers will not be able to cut back through the neighborhood when they leave the store.

However, the Cityıs Department of Design, Construction and Land Use (DCLU) has not recommended such restrictions, saying that they wouldnıt work without a physical barrier and that a barrier would prevent customers from entering the back lot on N. 87th.

McGinn says patrons could be allowed to enter the lots only on Greenwood. He also comments that new developments such as Safewayıs have an obligation to minimize the impacts on the neighborhood and that the City can require more mitigations for the project.

While McGinn agrees that a new orientation for the Greenwood Safeway would be ³better than what currently exists,² he remains protective of his neighborhood. ³Greenwood is getting more apartment buildings and bigger stores but weıre not getting the basic amenities to go with them,² he said.

A public hearing on McGinnıs appeal is scheduled for March 6. For more info, call DCLU at 684-8600.