Company buys Green Lake Albertsons store, property

Green Lake Block LLC,a subsidiary of Trammel Crow Residential, has bought the old Albertsons store and the property it sits on for $10 million.

The sale was finalized Jan. 26.

The company said it doesn't know what will be built on the site, but said it will be mixed use, likely retail and housing.

Brian Fritz, managing director of Trammel Crow Residential in Kirkland, said he doesn't know whether a grocery store will be part of the mix.

Fritz said the location of the property is key.

"You have everything you need here, a great location, access to the park, water views. It's a wonderful piece of property."

Ref Lindmark, with the Green Lake Community Council, said he hopes the company will work with the community in planning its development.

"It's a national company, but has a strong local presence," said Lindmark. "It's exciting to have someone who can start a project and finish it."

Fritz said the neighborhood will be involved in whatever the company decides to build on the land. He didn't know whether it would seek a zoning change; now it's zoned for mixed use and a 40-foot height limit.

The Boise-based Albertsons announced last month that it was closing its Green Lake grocery store, a fixture since 1956, on Jan. 27. Today the building sits idle, with graffiti painted on it.

The closure of the supermarket was sad news for nearby Hearthstone retirement complex, where elderly residents — many without cars — counted on it to buy toiletries and other necessities.

"It's one of those heartbreaking things for the residents," said Hearthstone receptionist Judy Young, adding that the facility has added van service to other grocery stores for the residents. "They had taken it all for granted and enjoyed the convenience of it."

Lindmark said residents don't want an empty building in the neighborhood, as happened in Wallingford, where the old Safeway store has been shuttered for years.

"Albertsons is very important to the mental health of our community," he said. "I hope something is built that's attractive to the community and works for the developer."

Lindmark said he hopes the new development will include a grocery store, although developer Lorig Associates is planning to redevelop the former Vitamilk Dairy property near Green Lake into a housing and retail center and wants to include a grocery as an anchor tenant. But that wouldn't be built until 2008.

Fritz said Trammel Crow has been in the Seattle area for 25 years and has developed many apartment complexes. It now has three projects under construction, a 199-unit apartment complex in South Lake Union and two condominium projects in Kirkland.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com