Dec. 27--Crowded aisles and difficult parking could be a thing of the past for shoppers at the Kroger in downtown Grosse Pointe.

Kroger is proposing to raze its outdated, one-story store at Kercheval and Notre Dame and replace it with a newer, two-story store with escalators, elevators for carts and amenities such as a sushi bar and outdoor seating. There also is talk of more than doubling the number of parking spaces by turning a lot behind the store into a 3 1/2 -story garage with elevators.

"We're very excited about Kroger staying in downtown. We think it's a tremendous anchor for the Village. With the expansion, it'll be that much more of an anchor for the Village," city planner John Jackson said. The downtown is known as the Village.

Jackson didn't know how much the project would cost or the timeline for its completion, if approved by city leaders, but he said he expects construction to go quickly.

Kroger representatives did not return calls Friday.

Jackson said the proposed store would bring new jobs and more revenue for other improvements to the city because the redevelopment would occur in the Downtown Development Authority area, which captures future property tax value increases and uses them for public improvements.

The proposed store would be brick with a shingle roof and would match the Village architecture. It would have windows on the Kercheval side, opening up the store to the main business strip -- unlike the current building, which has many blank walls.

The proposed grocery would be 37,400 square feet, more than double the size of the current one. The garage would have 172 spots, compared with 80 in the current parking lot. It may be a pay garage, but Kroger may validate parking for its customers, Jackson said.

He said Kroger would improve the alley behind the store, replace a compactor and reconfigure loading areas to help with traffic flow around the site. Kroger also plans streetscape improvements along Notre Dame.

Jackson said parking, the proposed store's architecture and traffic flow -- particularly minimizing traffic on nearby residential streets -- have been some of the biggest concerns from city leaders. He said Kroger has been working diligently to come up with a plan for its site.

For years, Kroger has been looking for ways to expand the store. In 2006, it took over the former Bath & Body Works store at the corner of Kercheval and Notre Dame. City officials gave Kroger permission to expand but said it needed an overall redevelopment scheme within two years, Jackson said.

He said Kroger was working with someone who wanted to redevelop the next block, but city officials selected another project for that site, which now is proposed for a boutique hotel. City leaders granted several extensions to Kroger for temporary use of the former Bath & Body Works store while it came up with redevelopment plans. The most recent extension was granted Dec. 15 and expires at the end of February.

A public hearing on the site plan for the proposed store may be held Jan. 26.

Contact CHRISTINA HALL at 586-826-7265 or chall@freepress.com.

-----

To see more of the Detroit Free Press, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.freep.com

Copyright (c) 2008, Detroit Free Press

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

NYSE:KR,

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.