Air Park West residents, who for years have hoped for a grocery store in their neighborhood, are finally getting their wish.

A Crete grocer plans to open an IGA Neighborhood Market in the Ashley Heights commercial development at the northeast corner  of  Northwest 48th Street and West Huntington Avenue.

Peter Clarke, who owns the Crete Foodmart, said the grocery store will take up about 22,000 square feet of a 32,000-square-foot space.  The the rest will be occupied by a Subway restaurant, a bank and a hardware store.

One unique thing about the setup of the store, Clarke said, is that the hardware store, which he said will be either an Ace or Do-It Best, will be incorporated into the grocery store, and the stores will share checkout lanes.

A groundbreaking is planned within the next couple of weeks, and Clark said he hopes to have the store open by the end of March. He plans to employ 60 to 80 people, half of whom will be working full time.

“We’re really looking forward to it opening,” said Karen Griffin Sieber, president of the Arnold Heights Neighborhood Association.

The developers of the center had tried for months to get a grocer, and were turned down by larger supermarket chains such as Nash Finch and B&R Stores, who said they didn’t think there were enough people nearby to support a store.

According to a marketing brochure from commercial real estate firm CBRE Mega, about 7,000 people live in the area.

Griffin Sieber said she feels the neighborhood is growing and that the grocery store will draw traffic from businesses nearby and some people who commute to Lincoln from the west as well.

Clarke said he was attracted to the area because it is fairly isolated and is unlikely to draw a competitor.

“It’s a good market out there for an independent (grocer),” he said.

He said his store will be similar in size to the Hy-Vee at 70th and O streets.

Clarke’s store will be the anchor tenant of the 93,000-square-foot commercial development, which was first announced in March 2005.

Lloyd Hinkley of CBRE Mega said the only other confirmed tenant so far is an Amigo’s.

But Hinkley said he’s gotten lots of calls about what he called “a very nice development.”

Reach Matt Olberding at 473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.