Safeway's Property Development Centers LLC closed its purchase of a 22-acre lot from Grove Farm in Lihue last week for an undisclosed price.

The lot, which is slated for the Hokulei Village shopping complex, is to be anchored by Safeway's new 56,000-square-foot supermarket in its new “;lifestyle”; format similar to the one on Kapahulu Avenue on Oahu.

“;The purchase is an indication of Safeway's commitment to proceed with the development of this important retail project, and of our optimism about the future despite the state and the nation's current economic challenges,”; said Gerry Wolfe, Safeway vice president for development. “;It speaks to the confidence we have in Hawaii and the Kauai marketplace.”;

Safeway is expected to hire 150 to 200 people for its new Kauai store, while the whole retail center is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs.

Hokulei Village also offers more than 220,000 square feet of leasable space, along with 1,028 parking spaces, with outdoor seating and plazas.

CB Richard Ellis' Wendell Brooks III, who represented Safeway and is the property's leasing agent, says negotiations are under way with 14 different tenants.

Several local and national retailers are expected to share Hokulei Village with Safeway, along with restaurants, banks, offices, a community meeting space and gas station.

The site, which is off of Kaumualii Highway, is about five miles from Lihue Airport and Nawiliwili Harbor, near Kukui Grove Center, Home Depot and Costco.

Safeway's Kauai store would be its 20th in Hawaii and second on Kauai. Safeway has had a store in Kapaa for more than 20 years, which is being renovated.

Jeff Benner of design firm Benner Stange Associates Architects said the site plan preserves view corridors from Kaumualii Highway to the scenic mountain range.