Second Fred Meyer forum slated

PALMER -- When Palmer speaks, does Fred Meyer listen?

The answer to this question could come at a public forum scheduled for 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, at the Palmer railroad depot. Both Palmer city officials and Fred Meyer representatives are expected to give presentations at the meeting, outlining the company's plans to build a 66,000-square-foot grocery store near the Palmer post office. The national chain is expected to break ground for the box store later this month and could open the doors sometime next summer.

During recent public forums and city council meetings, an increasingly organized group of Valley residents has expressed concern over how this new development will affect Palmer and what city officials are doing about it.

"There have been a lot of suggestions from the community," said Palmer City Manager Tom Healy. Since Fred Meyer first presented its plan at the railroad depot last month, some residents, business owners and people who work and shop in the town have criticized aspect of it. Some have asked for a more aesthetically pleasing building design, more pedestrian-friendly access, well-maintained landscaping, less-obtrusive lighting and subdued signs. And many have said the store's traffic plan, which changes the lanes on Evergreen Avenue and creates a new access road near Burger King, is flawed and will not adequately handle the 1,000 vehicles the store is expected to attract during peak hours each day.

The Palmer City Council apparently shares these concerns and recently authorized a separate traffic study to double-check Fred Meyer's numbers and assumptions.

The results of this study will be presented at the meeting, Healy said. At the same time, he said, the public forum will allow the city to present what requests it has made of Fred Meyer and for Fred Meyer to show how it is responding to those concerns. Among the topics expected to be covered are traffic, landscaping, lighting, building design and other project elements.

In addition to Fred Meyer representatives and city staff, city council members are also expected to attend the meeting.

More information is available by calling Palmer's community development coordinator, Sara Jansen, at Palmer City Hall at 745-3271.