After months of relegating Petworth and Park View residents to the Piney Branch Safeway and Columbia Heights Giant (and the nearby if smaller Yes! Organic Market), Petworth's Safeway will reopen on June 27th. While the obvious improvement of the new store is that it no longer gives off 1960s vibes or harbors any weird smells, there are several other less obvious sustainable elements to the grocer anchoring The Swift that contribute to its LEED Silver status. The LED fixtures in the refrigeration cases (as opposed to fluorescent lights might not be noticeable, but the fact that the doors won't fog or frost over after ten seconds of choosing a microwave dinner definitely will be. The retractable blinds for the east facing windows are really well hidden. The fact that the store's lighting and thermostat is on an energy management system that even the division offices on the West Coast can monitor is not obvious, either. Chances are, shoppers will never see the cistern that takes storm water and uses it to irrigate the green roof. But for the photos in these galleries, non-residents would never know about the white material on the roof that reflects heat away from the building, making The Swift's a cool roof. However, as patrons come in for their regionally sourced produce or grab a coffee, sandwich or salad from the front of the store, all of those sustainable elements are at work. And yes, the Safeway representatives say that those less pricey sandwich and salad bars are absolutely meant to compete with counterparts across the city at Whole Foods. Take a look inside.
· Here's A Sneak Peek In The New Apartments At The Swift [CDC]
· Name Revealed! The Swift Safeway Coming To Petworth [CDC]