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Public comments stress grocery access as Uptown redevelopment engagement report is received
Summary
Public comment and staff briefing on the Uptown redevelopment plan highlighted housing needs and a local ‘food desert’ after Pick 'n Save closed; staff said a 10,000-square-foot grocery at Uptown Lofts backed by a $1.5 million congressional allocation is moving forward and that Kroger still holds a lease on the former Pick 'n Save site.
The authority received a staff report on public engagement for the Uptown redevelopment plan (Districts 3 and 12) after extended public comment and member discussion about housing, safety and grocery access.
Jan Michalski, identifying themself as an alderman of the 3rd District, urged the authority to prioritize multifamily affordable rental housing and to actively recruit a full-service grocery to replace the closed Pick 'n Save. "My neighborhood really needs it," Jan Michalski said, describing residents who cannot drive and who need affordable local grocery options.
Staff told the authority that Kroger (which acquired Pick 'n Save) continues to hold a lease on the former grocery site and that KTEC High School has expressed interest in the building. Taylor, staff, also said contracts are signed for a 10,000-square-foot grocery at the Uptown Lofts led by developer Abel Alejo and that one of the final pieces of the project financing was a $1,500,000 congressional earmark from Senator Baldwin; staff said construction activity and contract execution are expected soon.
Staff summarized feedback gathered at open-house events and a survey: broad support for plan objectives, repeated calls for property maintenance and inspections, concern about vacancy and blight, and requests that vacant land not be dedicated to parking lots or structures. Community respondents raised concerns about vandalism, trespassing and drug activity and asked for more lighting and police presence in parts of the Uptown area.
Members discussed perception versus measured crime statistics, street redesigns (including the 22nd Avenue reconstruction and LED lighting), outreach methods (door hangers in English and Spanish, social media) and the difficulty of attracting large-format grocers because of limited 30,000-square-foot buildings in the area. Following discussion, the authority voted to receive the engagement report into the file.
Next steps: staff will continue outreach and market the assembled vacant parcels to interested developers, and the Uptown East subcommittee will be tasked with final edits to the redevelopment plan.
