SLIDESHOW: Sneak peek at new Ballard QFC

The new Ballard QFC, located at 5700 24th Ave. N.W., will open its doors to the public at 7 a.m. on Jan. 13, completing a two-year process that replaced the old 20,000 square foot QFC with one twice the size and topped with almost 270 apartments.

"It seems like the neighborhood is excited," said store manager Bob Goodman. "Our employees are feeling the same way."

Goodman said his grandparents lived and Ballard and he spent a good amount of his childhood in the area. Both he and QFC are happy to be back in the neighborhood, he said.

Goodman said about half of the store's staff are new employees, mostly from the Ballard area.

Kristin Maas, QFC public affairs director, said the store really wanted to focus on local employees who are invested in the community.

Maas said the Ballard QFC is the first time the company has torn down an old store and rebuilt on the same site.

Rebuilding in the same location forced QFC to close its current location in December 2007, which was not ideal, but allowed the neighborhood to stay involved and avoid a long-term vacant lot, she said.

"This community was very engaged," she said. "They were able to have a voice in the planning process."

The 268-unit Ballard on the Park development above the QFC is scheduled to complete construction sometime in the spring.

Maas said continuing construction on the apartments will not affect QFC operations. Construction on the apartments will mostly be located on the east and north sides of the development, away from the QFC and underground parking entrances, she said.

Click the above image for a first look at the inside of the new Ballard QFC.