After a seven-year process, Berkeley Bowl West-the sister location of the original Berkeley Bowl-opened to the public Thursday.

Since the opening, many patrons said they have been enjoying the new location's wider aisles, shorter lines and easier parking as compared to the original location.

"I think it's great," said Berkeley resident and local business owner Madelin Wolf. "It's well-stocked, the aisles are wide and parking wasn't too bad."

The owners originally intended the space-located on Heinz Avenue near Interstate 80-to function as a warehouse, but decided to open another market at the request of neighbors and in an effort to recoup construction costs, said owner Diane Yasuda.

"(The opening) is a big deal," Yasuda said, "coming at the end of seven years of hard work."

Wolf said she rarely shopped at Berkeley Bowl before the new location opened.

"I had a horrible experience getting stuck in the parking lot at the other store during Christmas," she said. "Plus, the aisles there were crowded and too narrow."

The new store is larger than the original and has a separate organic produce area, bigger deli and dairy sections and a cafe, according to Yasuda. An underground parking garage was also built to ease parking lot congestion, she added.

Despite enthusiasm for the location, some neighbors have expressed concern that traffic in the area will increase.

"The problem with it is the traffic," said Barry Gifford, a local resident. "It causes, during the week, terrible congestion."

Berkeley Bowl and the City of Berkeley, who have been meeting with neighbors, are in the process of creating a plan to improve traffic circulation on nearby streets.

"If they were trying to put any store in the neighborhood, I would be fighting it," said local homeowner Barbara Bowman, who was involved in the meetings with the city. "But Berkeley Bowl gives us a fabulous place to shop."

She said she felt the city and the grocer had been responsible in addressing the concerns of neighbors.

"We just hope the city is able to mitigate the ... (traffic) downside," Bowman said.

Tags: WEST BERKELEY, BERKELEY BOWL