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Brainerd resident urges council to tackle District 9 food desert; councilors point to work groups
Summary
Brainerd resident Brianna Williams told the council District 9 lacks full‑service grocery access and described multi‑mile trips to supermarkets; council members pointed to ongoing work groups and discussions with the mayor's office to pursue incentives and site options.
Brianna Williams, a resident of Brainerd in District 9, told the Chattanooga City Council on Dec. 9 that her neighborhood lacks easy access to full‑service grocery stores and urged elected officials to take action.
"There is no grocery store in District 9," Williams said, describing her typical travel distances: Food City is 2.6 miles away, Save A Lot roughly 3 miles, Publix about 7.2 miles and Whole Foods some 8.4 miles. Williams said public transit options make those trips impractical for many residents and urged the council to "create a viable committee of citizens and business owners with the Chamber of Commerce involvement to locate a company that would bring a grocer to District 9."
Council members acknowledged the concern and described ongoing efforts. Councilman Clark said council work groups and coordination with the mayor’s office are part of the response; he urged continued pressure on the mayor’s economic staff and noted the city has explored tax‑incentive tools used elsewhere.
"We are not as robust as we should be, in addressing it because I think oftentimes it's looked at as a council to do. And it really is the mayor's office, who is responsible for those different economic operational things for the government," Clark said, adding that his office has met with the mayor's staff and looked at tax‑increment financing examples in other cities.
Council members encouraged Williams to engage with ongoing work groups and noted staff have been meeting on related code and enforcement issues; Clark said he has been pursuing grocery incentives and that a vacant Walmart site has been an object of discussion.
What’s next: Councilmembers urged staff to keep the issue on work‑group agendas and to coordinate with the mayor’s office on potential incentives and strategies to attract a grocer to District 9.
Source: Public comment by Brianna Williams and responses from Councilman Clark, Chattanooga City Council meeting, Dec. 9, 2025.
