Yellowknife (May 02/03) - A major grocery store development is making Stanton Territorial Hospital officials cough.

As a result, Stanton filed an appeal to make the project, which borders hospital grounds, more compatible.

The appeal was heard by the Development Appeal Board last month but the board ruled that many of the hospital's concerns fall outside its jurisdiction, said member Coun. Robert Hawkins.

"The zoning bylaw doesn't speak to the quality of air or the overall impression of the development," he said.

"We did, however, get both groups together in one place to talk, which seemed to have a positive overall effect," Hawkins said.

Development officer John Pelletier said the grocery store meets all of the zoning bylaw requirements. Traffic and air pollution are the main concerns of the hospital with the operation of the grocery store now being built on the hospital's Old Airport Road doorstep, says Stanton interim CEO Al Woods.

Crews have already started work on the 55,000 square foot Extra Foods store. The entrance will be off the hospital's emergency access road.

The hospital told the appeal board they had a chance to purchase the land the grocery store is being built on, but could not come up with the funds.

"The city put the land up for auction and, unfortunately, we were not able to get it because we just didn't have the funds to do it," he said.

"Do we regret it? Most certainly," Woods said. "It would be nice to have that land (for future expansion), but we don't and we'll have to make alternative arrangements."

Stanton officials started meetings with the developer this week to try to work out compromises, Woods said.

The developer seems willing to listen to the hospital's concerns, but cannot budge on changing the access road, said Kerry Beauchamp, manager of facility services for the hospital.

"They've told us that they really can't change that, but we're looking at some of the other issues," Beauchamp said.

The hospital recently started a master development planning initiative to look at hospital expansion in the next 15 years, Woods said.

"We still have some land around here so we'll look at alternative ways of meeting our needs," he said.

Westfair Foods, the Calgary-based company owned by the Loblaw chain, bought the 1.78-hectare plot from the city last December for $1.75 million, double the list price.

A spokesperson for Westfair did not return phone calls to comment on the grocery store development.

Stanton's notice of appeal requests:

- The proposed design use other public and commercial access. In his submission to the board, Al Woods said the proposed use of the emergency access road constitutes a safety risk.

- The grocery store loading bay be placed at a safe distance keeping diesel fumes away from the hospital.

- The developer adds additional greenspace as a buffer between the two developments.

- The developer delays the proposed development until an independent professional assessment can be completed to determine the impact of the development on patients.