Bid for grocery store in Jefferson Chalmers on hold
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A conceptual rendering from 2019 of a grocery store concept along Jefferson Avenue. Screenshot courtesy of City of Detroit report
The plan for a new grocery store in Jefferson Chalmers is on hold while the city navigates the impacts of flooding.
Why it matters: Despite new investment and development in Detroit, access to fresh food remains a challenge.
- Leaders say Jefferson Chalmers could support a big-box grocer, especially after Parkway Foods moved about a mile west eight years ago.
Flashback: A 2019 vision for the east-side neighborhood included a full-service grocery store tenant anchoring a larger development along Jefferson Avenue at Piper Boulevard.
- The city planned to issue a request for developer proposals for the project, but hasn't done so.
Context: FEMA decided last year to designate more of the neighborhood, hit hard by intense flooding, as a floodplain area.
- It's expensive to own property in a floodplain, as flood insurance is required for residential and commercial building owners. Plus, it makes federal funding for development harder to access, according to city spokesperson Dan Austin.
What they're saying: The request for proposals is on hold "as we try to navigate the FEMA flood zone issues with the community," Austin says.
- City officials floated a plan this fall to dam up the neighborhood's canals, but nixed it after residents spoke out, per Planet Detroit. They're now focusing on fixing up city-owned seawalls.
Between the lines: There's a "strong desire" for a grocer within walking distance for seniors and those without transportation in the neighborhood, Josh Elling, chief executive of the nonprofit Jefferson East Inc., tells Axios.
- But even outside the floodplain issue and a general lack of citywide big-box grocers, Elling says they run into population size issues when national grocery chains do their expansion analysis.
- To that end, a goal of Jefferson East's is to stabilize the population and build more housing.
Yes, but: Residents' food needs shifted with the pandemic, says entrepreneur Raphael Wright. He's working to open a smaller-scale store, Neighborhood Grocery, in Jefferson Chalmers.
- "More people in that area are growing their own food, so that's creating this new market" for more community-oriented wraparound services like education around cooking, cultural food and healthy eating, he tells Axios.