At the July 20 meeting, John Gibbs, former Willow Glen Neighborhood Association president and owner of a home in the Willow Glen Pines townhome complex, which is behind Albertsons on Buchser Way, said he was excited about the supermarket's proposed expansion, but was also anxious about the 24-hour usage.

"I might be worrying about something that won't exist or I could not know about a whole world of 24-hour-use issues," he said.

Albertsons wants to demolish the existing 23,237-square-foot building on Minnesota and Bird avenues and rebuild a 32,196-square-foot store, which will require leasing the two adjacent shops, one of which is empty. The other is The Medicine Shoppe, an independent pharmacy owned by Richard Kitajima.

This was the second community meeting held on the project before the application goes to the San Jose Planning Commission on July 28. Albertsons representative Kent Heasley said, "Our goal is to stay friendly with the neighbors. We don't want to send away our customers."

And he added the reason Albertsons is pursuing 24-hour-use permit is to serve customers who work different hours and for the new in-store pharmacy.

Willow Glen Neighborhood Association board member Matt Hall said the project's approval looks like a "slam dunk, but if Albertsons can make the effort to put a review process in, it would go a long way."

The residents would like to re-examine the 24-hour-operating issue and its impact on the neighborhood six months to a year from now. Heasley said he is willing to do that, and added, "We want to work with you."

Willow Glen resident Maureen Burkley, who lives in the townhomes on the western side of the shopping center, said she still had concerns about how it would impact her area during construction and the ongoing noise from delivery trucks.

Architect Ric Craig said the projected nine to 12 months construction would be predominantly work inside the store with some parking-lot construction. The development team also looked into heightening the existing 6- to 8-foot sound wall, but didn't think it would make a significant difference. The developer is, however, adding an 8-foot sound wall along the northern side, where a wooden fence exists.

Landscaping along the western side, which neighbors had asked for previously, was not possible because of the delivery driveway's narrow width and the existing shops, Craig said.

Taking into account prior resident input, Craig said the developers are planning to dim the lights on the western side of the property from shining into the townhomes and also plan to increase the number of light fixtures in the parking lot.

He also said to decrease and discourage loiterers, the property manager—Asset Management Group—has joined with the San Jose Police Department's Stop Trespassing On Private Property program, which gives police officers the authority to arrest trespassers on private grounds.

One resident at the meeting, Howard Bjerke, who lives on Buchser Way, expressed concern about trash odors previously wafting into his property. Craig said the property manager has agreed to empty trash receptacles daily.

The developers also addressed security issues that were highlighted by residents at the April 21 meeting, saying security would be handled with surveillance cameras outside of the store and delivery gates would be locked between midnight and 6 a.m. This would also prevent trucks from disturbing neighbors during the night.

To further ensure a positive relationship between the neighbors and the supermarket, Craig said that Albertsons would handle any complaints by posting the manager's name and phone number in the store and keeping a complaint log in the market, which the city would have access to.