The city of Chicago is partnering with an outside organization to explore the idea of opening a municipally-owned grocery store to provide access to fresh groceries in underserved areas of the city.
Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the partnership this week with the Economic Security Project to build the grocery store, which the administration says will “promote food equity and accessibility for all Chicagoans,” according to a press release.
If opened, the store would be the first city-owned grocery store in a major U.S. city, according to the press release.
The Economic Security Project is a national non-profit that is providing technical assistance in the process of opening the store to assist residents on the city’s South and West sides.
“All Chicagoans deserve to live near convenient, affordable, healthy grocery options,” Johnson said in a statement. “We know access to grocery stores is already a challenge for many residents, especially on the South and West sides. A better, stronger, safer future is one where our youth and our communities have access to the tools and resources they need to thrive.”
City officials cite ongoing disinvestment that has led to a series of grocery store closures on the South and West sides of Chicago.
Ameya Pawar, senior advisor at ESP, says that the project will restore access to healthy food in areas that need such services the most.
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“The city of Chicago is reimagining the role government can play in our lives by exploring a public option for grocery stores via a municipally-owned grocery store and market,” he said. “A city-owned grocery store in the South or West sides of Chicago would be a viable way to restore access to healthy food in areas that have suffered from historic and systemic disinvestment.”
A feasibility study will kick off the process, enabling the administration to invest in different infrastructure components to help ensure success for the grocery store.
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