The city of Seattle has approved Safeway's controversial proposal to build a 12-pump gas station at its location in Crown Hill with the condition the corporation install speed bumps on side streets that would be affected by increased traffic.

A group of neighbors who oppose the discount gas station have been raising funds to appeal the decision. They believe the development is at odds with the Ballard/Crown Hill Neighborhood Plan, which calls for creating a more pedestrian-friendly area.

The city's decision comes as a slap in the face of those goals, said Andrea Faste, a member of No Safe Way For A Gas Station, the citizens group leading the opposition of the project.

"It's like screw the neighborhood plan - the notion of a pedestrian friendly Crown Hill," Faste said. "I don't know how long it'll be before a serious accident happens if this goes forward."

The high-volume gas station to be built at Safeway's location on 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 85th Street could create congestion and driving hazards on nearby residential streets, according to the citizens group. Drivers trying to avoid the main drag already use side streets east of 15th Avenue as a shortcut.

"They're (Safeway) just going to blow us off because they think we are small potatoes, and they're right - just like big, fat, greedy corporations always do," said Faste.

The group also says Safeway has failed to live up to its land use agreement that has specific landscaping and access requirements for delivery trucks.

Including the station to be built in Crown Hill, Safeway plans to construct a fuel station at its location on Market Street in Ballard.

Cherie Myers, a spokeswoman for the Pleasanton, Calif.-based supermarket chain, said Safeway has always been a good neighbor and wouldn't go through the costly development of a gas station if it weren't what the majority of its customers wanted.

"We are a great citizen and we belong in the community," said Myers. "We are seeing a huge response from our customers and we believe in both locations there is a need for a gas station."

Safeway measures community support through informal surveys and the amount of people that use its stores, she said.

"We do a lot of homework," said Myers. "We would not spend the money or the time if it wasn't something that the customers wanted."

Last summer, Seattle's Department of Planning and Development asked Safeway to submit additional traffic analysis of its plan. The city took issue with Safeway's estimates of potential trip generation and spillover traffic onto nearby residential streets.

Safeway's newest traffic analysis indicates the gas station would generate about 2,520 daily trips including 200 rush hour trips. Of those rush hour trips, about 26 percent would already be on the Safeway site for groceries and not considered new trips.

The remaining 148 trips would be 50 percent pass-by, 36 percent would be people already nearby and roughly 14 percent would be those who are making a specific trip to get gas at that site.

The proposed gas station would generate 21 new trips during rush hour, according to Safeway.

But the city added a condition that the company must install two speed bumps on Northwest 83rd and one speed bump every 300 feet along Mary Avenue Northwest between Northwest 83rd Street and Northwest 80th Street to ease traffic increases.

Gas station traffic would access the site from an existing curb cut at 15th Avenue and a new curb cut at Northwest 83rd.

A city transportation planner who also studied neighborhood concerns of cut-through traffic reviewed Safeway's traffic impact analysis. The Seattle Department of Transportation was also consulted.

The anti-gas station group says speed bumps won't be enough to control a potentially dangerous situation.

So far the group has raised a little more than $3,000, but Faste fears the process could end up costing much more than that depending how far it goes through the legal system. Nevertheless, the group has hired a lawyer and plans to solicit more money through a door-to-door campaign.

"We're hoping to crank up and raise about $30,000," said Faste.

As well as traffic issues, the group will attempt to challenge the city's zoning interpretations that allowed the project to move forward, said Faste, though she admitted it might be a long shot.

Of the impending litigation, Myers said, that's just "due process."

"We can't please everyone, but the majority of our customers have spoken and this is what they want," said Myers. "Maybe those handful of people will never buy the gas but it's their choice - that's the beauty of living in this country."

The project calls for the demolition of the existing Federal Savings Bank building and 79 parking stalls to build the gas station, 78 parking stalls, landscaping and driveways. One parking spot will be lost. The existing grocery store and 92 associated parking stalls on the lot would remain.

More than 600 comments were received from the public regarding the project.

Last month Safeway started selling biodiesel at its location in the Admiral District in West Seattle, making it the first Safeway location in the country to add biodiesel, a 20 percent blend of soybean oil and petroleum oil. If the product sells well there, Safeway plans to sell biodiesel at its Ballard and Crown Hill stations.

Safeway has been trying to build a gas station in Crown Hill since 2001, but withdrew its land use application when the city asked for further traffic and parking studies.

The company applied again in 2005. But the Seattle City Council issued an emergency pedestrian designation, which specifically prohibits gas stations, as part of planning for monorail development. The designation expired in April last year, one month before it went into effect permanently. Safeway was able to re-submit its application.

Myers said the business community in the area has been generally supportive.

"I'm sure there are pros and cons but the pros far outweigh the cons," said Myers. "I hope the end result will make everyone feel that is was a good choice."

E-mail Hugh Kelso to donate to the anti-gas station legal fund at bb936@scn.org or visit www.nosafewayforagasstation.org.

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 783.1244 or rebekahs@ballardnewstribune.com