Hy-Vee shutters all but one entrance to its downtown store
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This entrance through a parking garage area on the south side of the downtown Hy-Vee is the only way to enter the store. Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios
Hy-Vee's recent downtown redesign includes a single entry through its rear garage area with no Court Avenue access.
- Grocery shoppers can also no longer access the in-store Starbucks without walking around the building — with the most direct path through a truck docking area.
Why it matters: City inspectors are reviewing whether the modifications to downtown's only full-service grocery store meet accessibility requirements, Cody Christensen, DSM's development services director, tells Axios.
- Hy-Vee is now reviewing the situation and there's a high likelihood that changes will soon be made, company spokesperson Tina Potthoff told Axios on Thursday.
Catch up quick: The store opened in 2017 after city leaders awarded millions of dollars over 15 years for its development and operation.
- Following frequent theft and loitering problems, managers of the site temporarily blocked some aisles around its liquor section last year and abruptly cut operating hours.
- Those hours were partially restored a few months later via an amended city agreement that requires the store to return to regular hours next year.
State of play: Its front-facing Wahlburgers restaurant closed in October when the grocer announced multiple changes to the downtown location.
Zoom in: The changes included converting Starbucks to a standalone site via a glass partition.
- Glass walls in the liquor section also block a direct route to the store's pharmacy.
- Customers must walk around that section and through the new HealthMarket aisles to reach that store area.
The intrigue: Potthoff says the entrance changes were made so Starbucks and a yet-to-be-identified operator for the vacant Wahlburgers space can operate at different hours from the store.
- The store's original and primary entry on Court Avenue has been closed for over a year, so only one of the grocery store's four initial entries is open.
What they're saying: Having no entrance on Court Avenue is inconvenient and raises safety concerns, Downtown Neighborhood Association president Deb Madison-Levi tells Axios.
- The association also feels strongly about the need for the store and wants a reasonable solution that assures its longevity, she said.
What's next: A resolution is anticipated in the coming weeks, Christensen says.
