Save-A-Lot

Feb 24, 2022

Loma 12 mins ago 168 3 minutes read CHICAGO (CBS) — City Council on Wednesday gave City Hall the go-ahead to negotiate the purchase of a recently closed Aldi store in West Garfield Park, as Mayor Lori Lightfoot seeks to replace another grocery store and eliminate a food desert from the west side of town. . The City Council-approved ordinance would give the Lightfoot administration leverage to buy the shuttered Aldi store in the 3800 block of West Madison Street if the company cannot sell the site to another grocer. READ MORE: The truth behind the tow: “Chicago stole my car that night” If the city purchased the site, the Department of Planning and Development would then be tasked with launching its own efforts to potentially find a developer who could build another grocery store, perhaps as part of a larger development. At a meeting of the city council’s housing committee earlier this month, planning department officials said they were already working with Aldi and the firm’s broker to find a new grocer for the site. Aldi listed the site for $700,000. West Garfield Park Aldi closed abruptly in October amid falling sales. If Aldi can’t lure another grocer to the site, the city would be set to buy the property to ensure an acceptable replacement can be found, to ensure the neighborhood isn’t left without a grocery store. . The neighborhood’s only other grocery store, a Save-A-Lot at 420 S. Pulaski Road, had its license temporarily revoked earlier this month due to a rodent infestation and remains closed. Aldus. Raymond Lopez (15and), a frequent critic of the mayor, was the only councilor to vote against plans to allow the city to negotiate the purchase of the vacant Aldi, saying the Lightfoot administration should first establish a clear policy to citywide for such situations. “We have an uneven and unfair application of an unknown policy enabled for this purchase,” he said. Lopez acknowledged “it’s horrible” when neighborhoods don’t have enough options for grocery stores, but said allowing the city to buy the vacant Aldi in West Garfield Park without another grocer doing queuing to regain ownership “is a dangerous bet”. “We are playing with taxpayers’ money, because as each of you know, trying to get groceries in particular has become exponentially more difficult in the city of Chicago, and even across the country,” he said. he declares. However, Lightfoot said “the idea that we willy-nilly wield this unusual authority is simply not the case.” READ MORE: First Chicago Weather Alert: Flurries, Evening Flurries; Thursday Winter Weather Advisory “It’s a dire circumstance. We have concerns, working with Ald. [Jason] Ervin on the condition of this property, ensuring it is attractively maintained for the arrival of a new grocery store, while we continue to actively pursue leads,” she said. The mayor said city officials already have several leads on potential replacement grocery stores. Aldus. Jason Ervin (28)and), whose neighborhood includes the vacant Aldi, said it was “extremely urgent and necessary” to find a grocer to replace Aldi, and needed the city to get more directly involved to ensure that it happen. “The community of Garfield Park currently lacks full-service grocery options – and I mean none – in its community with the loss of Save-A-Lot recently. It’s the right kind of step needed in the Madison Corridor to bring back the vitality of the business district that was once considered Chicago’s West Side Michigan Avenue,” he said. Lightfoot said she also believed Aldi should be held responsible for closing the store without telling store workers. The town’s move gives the community hope that a new grocer will eventually replace Aldi. “We definitely need the product, but we also need the right stakeholders,” Cristyn Freemon said earlier this week. Freemon is one of many people pushing the city to find a reliable, long-term replacement because it’s a real matter of life and death. Ayesha Jaco with the organization West Side United estimates that life expectancy on the West Side is 14 years shorter than that of inner city residents. NO MORE NEWS: 3 children found safe at Church in River West after SUV stolen with them all inside “We started activating community conversations to make sure there would be a fit and it would be a real choice led by the voice of the community,” Jaco said. chicago Not all news on the site expresses the point of view of the site, but we transmit this news automatically and translate it through programmatic technology on the site and not from a human editor. Tags