Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. agrees with Councilmember Laketa Cole that the residents of Walnut Hills deserve access to quality food.
"The Administration recognizes the critical need for healthy food choices within Cincinnati’s neighborhoods and encourages the cooperative efforts of those involved in making decisions that affect these choices," Dohoney writes in a recent report to City Council.
Earlier this year, Kroger announced plans to close its store at (BIRD'S EYE) unless it can negotiate a more favorable lease with the property's owner.
Kroger, which both leases the building and pays rent on the land, has reported operating losses at the Walnut Hills location for the last several years.
City Administration has actively discussed the future of the store with Kroger's vice president of operations for the Cincinnati/Dayton Division.
The company has stated publicly its desire to keep the store open beyond their lease agreement and has been meeting with the building owner to reduce the rent cost and to shorten the lease term.
"Kroger will then focus on instore improvements including modernization through tenant improvements and evaluating food choices and general product mix based on customer demand," Dohoney writes.
The City has targeted expenditures of over $1,000,000 by fall 2009 to make the area around Peebles Corner more inviting, including:
* Streetscape improvements
* Business district acquisition and redevelopment
* Façade improvements
* Parking lot enhancements
* Community park improvements
* Historic building renovation
"This City funding will improve the public spaces and commercial environment around the Kroger store," Dohoney writes.
Kroger has not asked for any City assistance in keeping the location.
Their lease expires in February 2009.
Previous reading on BC:
Cole: Walnut Hills residents need access to quality food, too (3/31/08)
3 hours ago
2 comments:
$1m seems insufficient to accomplish all those goals (as does the 1-yr time frame), but I do think it's a worthwhile initiative. I lived in WH for a couple years and shopped there.
I knew many neighbors who refused to shop there because they had the impression it was unsafe. I'm sure the run-down look of the surrounding business district and the ever present loiterers were factors in that impression.
So I would think sprucing up the area would attract many customers, and that in turn would make the area attractive to future businesses and residents.
^ True. Though I would add that even though that money is budgeted through 2009, some of the projects could take longer than that.
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