New Meijer supercenter planned for Glendale area

Grocery chain Meijer is planning to build a 193,000-square-foot supercenter, with gas station and convenience store, on the corner of East 56th Street and Keystone Avenue.

The company confirmed today that it has signed a contract to purchase the site, located about four blocks south of Glendale Town Center, along a busy commercial corridor.

Meijer said plans call for a supermarket, a full-service pharmacy, garden center and gas station. The purchase is not yet final, Meijer spokesman Frank J. Guglielmi said.

The company is still in the due diligence phase, which includes looking at the property in detail and talking with interested parties. The soonest the store could be built and opened would be 2016.

The move, if Meijer goes ahead, would add another supermarket to an area already featuring numerous grocery stores. Marsh Supermarkets has two locations within a half-mile of the site, and Kroger has one about a mile north.

Meijer wants to rezone 1.3 acres of land, at 2215 E. 56th St., from medium-density residential to C4 commercial, a designation for large businesses, such as shopping centers.

A three-story apartment complex, Glenstone Apartments, now sits on the site. It is unclear what would become of the 31,000-square-foot complex. Meijer declined to comment on that, and the apartment owner could not be reached for comment.

Several car dealerships are also located near the property. Managers at both dealerships — Butler Kia and Lockhart Automotive — did not return calls seeking comment.

Some neighbors are concerned the new store could dramatically increase traffic from the busy intersection onto their residential streets.

Kerry Bender, who lives six doors north of the proposed site on Hillside Avenue, said the development would open the area to thousands of shoppers every day. She said she would like a sound barrier and a dead end on the east side of the development, so motorists don't cut through the parking lot from 56th Street and flood her neighborhood with traffic.

Hundreds of children walk in the area, including those who go to and from Christ the King School, located off of nearby Kessler Boulevard, she added.

Bener filed a remonstrance to Meijer's plan, a move that delayed the hearing date until Oct. 23.

Meijer will meet with neighbors at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Glendale Town Center library to lay out their plans and hear concerns.

Call Star reporter John Russell at (317) 444-6283 and follow him on Twitter @johnrussell99.