But the commissioners also decided at the July 28 hearing that the store doesn't need to be open 24 hours a day.

"The commission really listened to the community's concerns. I'm really surprised," said store neighbor Cecilia Quick, who lives on Minnesota Avenue.

Five Willow Glen residents addressed the commission before the vote was cast.

Quick, like the other speakers, spoke in favor of the remodeling, but opposed the store's hours. "It's an old shopping center; the houses literally back up against the store. There's not enough of a buffer for the noise," she said.

Quick told the commission she'd had to replace her windows with thicker panes to muffle some of the noise from delivery trucks and air-conditioning units on the store's roof. "It was waking me up in the morning," she said.

Albertsons' architect Ric Craig said an automatic gate would prevent delivery trucks from arriving at the store between midnight and 6 a.m. "It will be easy for somebody to drive by and observe the gate to see if it's closed when it's supposed to be."

Commissioner Jay James chided the architect. "I'm not sure that's the attitude I like to hear. It's Albertsons' responsibility. It sounds like you're pushing it onto somebody else."

Craig said the company was requesting a 24-hour permit so the store could serve customers working swing shifts and those needing a pharmacy after midnight.

Commissioner James Zito also asked Craig how many stores in the chain actually operate 24 hours.

Craig said only 10 percent of the chain's stores in the Bay Area are open 24 hours a day.

"So that's not a huge part of your business," said James.

Planning commission chairman Bob Levy told Albertsons that the company could always reapply for a 24-hour permit after it follows through on promises made to the community to improve the quality of the store while minimizing the impact on the neighborhood.

The company plans to replace the existing 23,237-square-foot building on Minnesota and Bird avenues and rebuild a 32,196-square-foot store.

Albertsons held three community meetings to address the neighborhood's concerns about noise, lighting and security.

Some of the improvements include removing a wooden fence bordering Buchser Way and replacing it with a 6- to 8-foot sound-dampening wall, building an enclosed loading dock for larger trucks and replacing the mechanical equipment on the roof with quieter versions.

After the meeting, Craig and Albertsons representative Kent Heasley said they weren't sure if the company would appeal the commission's decision to the city council.