Charlottesville residents ask council to invest $1.5 million in community-owned food co‑op at 501 Cherry Avenue

Community organizers urged the Charlottesville City Council to invest $1.5 million from the city surplus to seed a community-owned grocery co‑op at 501 Cherry Avenue.

The request came during the meeting’s public comment period, when Diana McDonald, founder of R & Hartwork Health Education Coaching and Consulting, presented results from six months of engagement with Fifeville and surrounding neighborhoods and said the steering committee and neighborhood groups favor a community-owned food co‑op as the best fit for local needs. “A grocery store that is community owned, food co‑op, or led by an owner operator with deep local neighborhood roots is the desire,” McDonald said.

Organizers framed the proposal as a public‑health and economic‑development project for a historically Black neighborhood. Paula, identifying herself as a steering‑committee member, said the co‑op “is about restoring power and stability to a neighborhood that has long lacked access to fresh affordable food.” Lisa Drain, another steering‑committee member, told the council the team includes about 25 residents and urged the council to consider the co‑op as “a model for addressing food access issues.”

The coalition described a funding gap: during community outreach residents were told about a donated space, but organizers said approximately $4 million would be needed to buy and fit the space; the steering committee instead asked the city for $1.5 million toward building a financially sustainable, community‑owned grocery.

City Manager (name not specified) said staff are engaged in the conversation and will pursue options that do not necessarily require only cash. “There are ways that we can support the grocery store that won't necessarily exclusively require cash,” the City Manager said, and said they would meet with the economic development director and arrange conversations with the co‑op organizers.

Speakers from the community said the co‑op would support regional farmers, create jobs and reduce long‑term health costs associated with food insecurity. One commenter tied the co‑op to local schools as a place for student learning and visits.

No council action was taken at the meeting. Council members and staff indicated they will follow up with the co‑op steering committee and explore financial and non‑financial support options ahead of upcoming budget deliberations.

The matter remains under study; organizers asked for placement on a future council agenda so the council can consider a formal funding request.