The owner of a Texas-based chain of grocery stores is negotiating with Safeway for the purchase of the now-closed East Side Safeway store, District 2 City Councilman Larry Atencio announced Monday night.

"These are serious negotiations and if all goes well, there could be a new grocery store at that location within 90 days," Atencio told council.

The company, called Lowe's, is based in Texas but has 146 grocery stores in that state as well as in New Mexico and Colorado. In Greeley, for example, the Lowe's store is known as Food King.

The company is family owned and Roger Lowe, the company president, already has been to Pueblo once to look at the East Side Safeway. He was scheduled for another visit this week but canceled because of weather, Atencio said Tuesday.

He gave special credit to Pueblo businessman Anthony Estrada for getting involved in the city hunt for a new East Side grocer.

"Anthony has worked with both Safeway and Lowe's in his own businesses and he was able to bring the two together with the purpose of replacing the East Side Safeway," Atencio said.

Atencio said the Texas company is likely to want some city incentives to come here, such as property tax reductions.

"But we've been willing to do that for other companies, too," he said.

Council was delighted to hear about the possible opening of a new grocery store. Safeway's decision to close the store on East Eighth Street stunned the city last October. The decision left a wide swath of the East Side without a grocery or pharmacy.

Early in council's meeting Monday night, it named the day for District�4 Councilman Ray Aguilera for being an advocate for the Safe Streets police program that publicizes the names and photographs of wanted suspects.

Council teased Atencio that if the city is able to get a new grocery into the East Side, they would name a day for him also.

proper@chieftain.com