Fiscal Note
No additional appropriation at this time. Future strategies may have impact, subject to Common Council approval.
Title
SUBSTITUTE-Approving the Verona Road/Allied Drive commercial and neighborhood area food retail and economic redevelopment priorities, and directing an interdisciplinary staff team to explore funding strategies, private partners, and other complementary uses to facilitate the location of a full-service affordable grocery store in the immediate commercial area and to prepare a comprehensive economic plan for the entire area.
Body
WHEREAS, the Allied Drive Neighborhood is an eclectic neighborhood on the Southwest side of Madison comprised of a diversity of races, ethnicities, and cultures, and traditionally lower-income when compared to the rest of the city; and
WHEREAS, the Allied Drive Neighborhood has long struggled in properly accessing healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food for each resident in the immediate area; and
WHEREAS, at a recent outreach meeting with the Neighborhood Resource Team, the neighborhood identified food retail access as the number one priority for the area; and
WHEREAS, in August 2014, the City was made aware that the neighborhood’s only immediate food retailer (Walgreens) would be closing no sooner than January 2015 due to concerns over the Verona Road/Beltline reconstruction and corporate consolidation; and
WHEREAS, despite that the former retailer was not designed to be a full scale grocery, it was shown to be a very important source of food access for the neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, it is critical to replace vacant storefronts in the commercial area with viable, positive uses that add to the neighborhood, create a sense of place, and present affordable, accessible services and utilities for immediate residents; and
WHEREAS, the City has never developed a comprehensive economic plan for the area to plan for and prioritize future development and to capitalize on the diverse, multicu...
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