On Nov. 25, the Urbana City Council officially pledged $800,000 to support the construction of a new grocery store in Urbana’s Ward 3.
The grassroots effort is spearheaded by HeartStrong Meals CEO Angela Bradley, who hopes to address food access issues and the lack of fresh produce in northwest Urbana.
“It didn’t take more than a week to decide whether or not to provide the funding,” said Shirese Hursey, Urbana City Council’s representative for Ward 3. “The city doesn’t have much to lose; it’s only to its benefit.”
Urbana’s Ward 3 runs from Saline Court in northern Urbana to parts of University Avenue and Green Street near the University campus.
Residents’ support for a new grocery store in the area is widespread, according to Hursey, who received emails from people who don’t live in Ward 3.
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Elena Poulosky, sophomore in LAS residing in Urbana, expressed her support for the project.
“I know that area is technically in a food drought because it’s over a mile away from the nearest grocery store, so this project would be really good for the community,” Poulosky said.
Hursey, who grew up in Urbana, said the city has been trying to get a grocery store for years.
“No one would bite,” Hursey said. “The distribution of food in this country is in the hands of maybe five corporations, and they all get together and make a determination to me on what neighborhood is viable for them to put a grocery store in, and that is discriminatory.”
The grocery store project is personal for many residents in Urbana, including Hursey. In 2018, she proposed a grocery store as public input when she wasn’t on the city council yet.
“There used to be a grocery store in Ward 3 when I was a kid, but it closed when I was maybe 11, and there has not been a replacement since,” Hursey said. “Everybody from the neighborhood shopped in that grocery store, and now all we have is two Circle K’s that are just a block from each other.”
Hursey is concerned for residents who don’t drive since accessing the nearest grocery stores would require getting on the highway. She explained that many elderly folks in Ward 3 often have to call their grandkids or rely on friends to take them to the store.
Bradley has applied for an Illinois Grocery Initiative grant of $2.4 million to support the project. Urbana residents are hopeful, but Hursey explained that everything depends on whether or not Bradley receives the grant.
The grocery store will replace an old fire station, but it is still uncertain if the area is feasible to use as a store, according to Hursey. However, residents of Urbana, including University students, are hopeful that the project will work out.
“It would become the closest grocery store to me; it’s honestly really good,” Poulosky said.
