Johnson administration passes on state funding for publicly-owned grocery store

Chicago: So, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s team decided not to go for state funding for that city-owned grocery store idea. This has folks wondering what’s next for a plan he first mentioned over a year ago.

He brought up the grocery store concept back in September 2023, saying it could help people on the South and West sides of the city. Those areas have seen a lot of supermarket closures, leaving many without easy access to fresh food.

There are activists who think groceries should be treated like public utilities, similar to water or post offices. But, running a grocery store is tough, and some critics doubt the city has the know-how to make it work.

Interestingly, most public grocery stores are in smaller towns. If Chicago pulls this off, it could be the first major U.S. city to have one. Other cities like New York and Atlanta are also looking into it.

Back in December, the city passed on applying for state funding, even though they had previously said they would. The Illinois Grocery Initiative, which was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker, was set up to help fund grocery stores in food deserts.

Municipalities can apply for up to $2.4 million, which isn’t a ton but could help get things rolling. The Tribune even checked if the city applied for any funding but found no records of it.

The first round of state grocery grants went out in October, and the deadline for the second round was early December. A city spokesperson didn’t comment on why they chose not to apply.

In a memo from August, the mayor’s chief of staff mentioned they were working on the grant application. Staff were supposed to handle site evaluations and financial analysis to prepare for it.

They had a consultancy, HR&A Advisors, helping out with the feasibility study for the grocery project. They pointed out that the state grocery program could be a good funding source, saying a public grocery store is “necessary, feasible, and implementable” in Chicago.

However, the city hasn’t shared the feasibility study with the public yet, even though they said they would. The Economic Security Project, which has been a supporter of public grocery stores, also backed the mayor’s grocery project.

Sarah Saheb from the Economic Security Project urged leaders in Illinois to use state resources to improve grocery access in their communities. She pointed out that as corporations take over, they often prioritize profits over people, leaving many families struggling.

Supermarket closures have been a big issue in Chicago, especially on the South and West sides. This makes it hard for residents, particularly those without cars or the elderly, to get fresh groceries.

City leaders have been trying to tackle this problem for years, sometimes using public funds to attract private grocers, only to see them close later. For instance, under Rahm Emanuel, the city spent over $10 million to bring a Whole Foods to Englewood, which shut down six years later.

Supporters of a city-owned grocery store believe that while it might be tricky to set up, it could help solve some of Chicago’s grocery access issues by reducing reliance on for-profit companies.