New grocery store expected to bring boost to south Albany

ALBANY — A new grocery store in south Albany will offer convenience and new food choices for residents in an underserved area of the city.

The Food For Less Inc. store, an affiliate of Piggly Wiggly, also will bring some 75 new jobs to the area.

The grocer, which will move into the former Harvey’s location at South Slappey Boulevard and West Gordon Avenue, was assisted by a $150,000 grant from the city of Albany, which also has arranged other financing. The Harvey’s store closed in early 2019.

“We’ve been looking for the right grocery store to come in” for more than a year, said Albany City Commissioner B.J. Fletcher, whose Ward III is where the store is located. “It looks like it’s going to be a public-private partnership. It was a win-win for the residents of Albany.”

A Georgia Tech-Albany State University study into food disparities conducted last year identified food deserts in the community. Some residents in the city are five miles or more away from a grocery store where fresh fruits and vegetables are available.

Residents who lack transportation often depend on dollar stores where food selections are heavy in processed food, and the long-term health implications of poor diets have been cited as a factor in the underlying conditions such as diabetes that made COVID-19 so deadly among residents in those underserved areas.

One product not lacking in the area, which is in close proximity to where Wards III, IV and VI come together, is alcohol, said Ward VI Commissioner Demetrius Young, who has made a top issue of limiting the spread of establishments that sell beer, wine and liquor.

“You have three convenience stores and a liquor store in a one-block area near that intersection,” he said. “You can walk across the street to get alcohol, but you have to take three buses to get a tomato.

“It’s also a health issue when you don’t have a grocery store in an area.”

Renovations are expected to be completed within nine months of the grant award, and the development is expected to provide more than 70 jobs, of which 50 to 80 percent are expected to go to residents of Albany and Dougherty County. The jobs are expected to bring an average hourly wage of $10.65 to $16.61, with benefits for those working 30 hours or more per week.

The $150,000 in city funding comes through a healthy food financing initiative target small grant award. City staff plan to bring a proposal to close a $350,000 funding grant for the $2.8 million project to the commission early in January.

The jobs also will offer a boost, Fletcher said. The company has committed to paying at least $10 per hour, and some jobs such as meat-cutting will pay significantly more, she said. Along with a recent announcement of the opening of a facility at the former MacGregor building the entire area will get a new look and opportunities.

“You’re talking about 150 jobs a quarter of a mile from Albany Tech,” Fletcher said. “That’s been a huge eyesore. I hope they will target Albany Tech students for jobs. That will help them out.”

With the facelift, Fletcher is hoping another nearby eyesore — the former National Linens building — can be razed. The building attracts a criminal element and has become a “dope house with walls,” she said. “To get that eyesore torn down would be huge in that part of the community.”

The need in the area is great, as there is no grocery store closer than three or four miles to the location, Young said. An outing to a grocery store that far away brings a number of challenges for those without personal transportation, particularly those with children.

In addition to potential health benefits for residents, Young said it will benefit residents in other ways, including other nearby businesses that will see more traffic in the area.

“Having a grocery store in that part of the city will make it a more viable neighborhood,” he said. “Things like grocery stores, churches, schools are what help make a viable neighborhood.”

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