Lower Downtown Denver will get long-awaited access to a grocery store under a plan by King Soopers to open an outlet at 20th Street and Chestnut Place.

“That is really good news,” Denver City Councilwoman Judy Montero said.

The King Soopers will be part of an apartment project in the Riverfront Park neighborhood northwest of Coors Field and northeast of Union Station.

The store is scheduled to open in late 2014 or early 2015.

Downtown residents and business boosters long have sought a full-service grocery store. Grocers have held off, awaiting sufficient population density provided by residential development in the fast-growing LoDo, Central Platte Valley and Ballpark neighborhoods.

“It’s an area certainly in need of a grocery,” King Soopers spokeswoman Kelli McGannon said. “Long-term growth there will make it a viable business decision for us.”

King Soopers has not yet determined the size and style of the store.

“We no longer are building stores that are one-size-fits-all,” McGannon said. “The store will be reflective of that Denver urban neighborhood.”

In recent years, King Soopers’ approach has been larger stores at suburban sites and smaller stores in urban areas.

The grocer recently opened a 30,000-square-foot store — smaller than the chain’s full-size outlets — at South University Boulevard and East Hampden Avenue.

The store is part of the Fresh Fare concept launched by Soopers parent Kroger Co., with an emphasis on prepared foods and local, organic produce.

The new Central Platte Valley store will be part of an apartment and retail complex to be developed by Denver-based Nichols Partnership.

The closest existing stores to downtown are a King Soopers at 14th Avenue and Speer Boulevard, and a Safeway at 20th Avenue and Washington Street. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage operates a store in the Central Platte Valley at 2375 15th St.

Whole Foods reportedly is looking for a downtown Denver location. Target also is scouting downtown for a site in its new line of City Target stores designed for high-density urban areas.

Staff writer Jeremy Meyer contributed to this report.

Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948, sraabe@denverpost.com or twitter.com/steveraabedp