Oh I hear you, but I’m just saying - sometimes built-in parking just isn’t going to be viable and in those cases, folks will need to seek alternate options like A: parking on the street, B: getting to know our basic but growing bus system, C: learn how to ride a bike, or D: all of the above! Car dependency relies on car dependency.
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To add, it is not impossible for a buyer to get rid of their vehicle and bike, walk and/or use ride share services to travel. Cargo bikes, for example, are adequate for many individuals and even small families to complete most chores (child pickup, grocery shopping, etc.).
Gotcha… I live a couple of blocks over and have had a very different experience. I have always found street parking to be readily available throughout South Park.
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personally i think the bigger issue is turning onto ellington off of the speedway that is mlk, and future residents parking on that blind corner.
as far as open spots you can likely see them thru most of the day when people are at work but at night it is generally crowded with people who already live here. so that is to say adding 5+ vehicles to the street area would be annoying.. if i came home from the grocery store and someone has now parked directly in front of my house for who knows how long I would be frustrated
in any case i am happy for 7 units just wish it came with spots like all the other condos in the south park neighborhood
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I hadn’t seen this mentioned here before so thought I’d link out to it: https://www.fertileground.coop/
From the website:
OUR MISSION
To establish a multi-stakeholder grocery store and community gathering space that increases access to healthy/affordable food and serves as a community/cultural center in Southeast Raleigh.
OUR VISION
To serve as an intergenerational hub for Southeast Raleigh residents to build an alternative economy and foster personal and collective assets.
They’ve already picked a site and architect and have a good amount of funding. Exciting to see this come to fruition (pun intended)!
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I wish them luck, but I’m curious what they’re able to offer in comparison to say Food Lion with pricing and availability. The grocery game is tough with a battle over pennies in volume, so they will need the foot traffic.
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It’s still going to require a car for most shoppers.
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any location is a good location for a new grocery store.
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Especially in a food desert. There are a ton of townhomes that were just built less than a mile down Garner Rd too. Not sure what the bike ride or walk would be like for those residences but could be an option.
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I’ve been following this for a while - definitely excited to see what this is and what it offers, but I agree the location is a bit strange (I believe that creek regularly floods) and think it may face steep competition from Food Lion and the Family Dollar a few blocks away, but I definitely hope this does well and am excited to check it out once they open
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sure. but the grocery store also has to survive to be useful. I was just pointing out that it is south of 40 (not South Park) and surrounded by industrial areas and low density residential.
If it was just 1 mile to the north it probably would become the focal point of a densifying residential neighborhood.
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I think this is a great idea, I hope they do well. I, too, wonder about this location. I think this concept would be perfect for the DMV redevelopment. I’ll bang my drum again for a neighborhood focused multi-use development.
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No doubt that getting a store in a food desert will be a good thing, but let’s be real about people in townhouses walking a mile or riding a bike for a mile to go shopping. I’d personally be one of them, but their numbers will be tiny. Even in Glenwood South, I find that I am in the minority as a walker to Publix, and it’s a lot closer to hundreds (if not thousands) of housing units. Are there walkers like me? Certainly. Are they numerous? Not that I see. Also, I suspect that a bespoke cooperative store like this won’t be price competitive for the folks who are most in need of a local, walkable, affordable grocery store. Again, getting any sort of store is a move in the right direction, but this isn’t going to be the volume grocer that the east side deserves to have.
Let me amend my observations about shoppers at Publix. Clearly there are several hundred shoppers who live in the apartments above Publix, and those folks are clearly “walking” to buy groceries. Those folks aren’t seen on the sidewalks. That said, there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of residents within 2 or 3 blocks, and when I walk there I see a few others actually walking like I do. It’s with this lived experience that I make my comments about this new food cooperative. I just wouldn’t presume a lot of walkers.
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What I’m most curious about, and concerned about, is their target audience - it seems like they’re trying to pull in lower-income folks living around the location - which is great! - but will the prices be low enough to pull those people away from Food Lion and Family Dollar? Or will they try to go for the wealthier folks moving into the townhomes and gentrifying areas closer to downtown, and try to complete with places like Weaver Street with quality ingredients and prepared foods - or will they split the middle somehow?
If anyone has any inside scoop, I’d love to learn more
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You have the same concerns/presumptions that I have. When I hear food cooperative, my mind doesn’t immediately go to affordable. I too am interested in if anyone has the inside scoop.
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my folks are blind and between the archaic taxi, raleighs transit (even when cp and l and cat operated the system), walking and some help from neighbors…yeah, survival occurred. during a time when there wasnt nearly the level and variety of retail and dining options that exist now. was it cumbersome at times…sure. i guess 80 percent of your life can be delivered to your door now. if you grew up on transit and get used to the flow of it it ‘can’ make the journy part of the experience. but i do recall that while on a bus for instance i got to look at my city as opposed to taillights and signals on many occasions. whatever level polical communites decide…raleigh is a much more diverse place now.
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the large apt development on hammond just south of 40 might help with customers, iirc there have been some developments on rush as well, and along rush/garner intersection.
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I just want a place where I can buy some produce and some not-astronomically-priced dry goods within a 15 minute walk of Moore Square or Chavis Park. Weaver Street I think would technically fit in there but I haven’t had good experiences with their produce the few times I’ve had to get an emergency onion or whatever. The DGX was even good in a pinch while we had it. In fact, that space would probably be great for a small grocer that doesn’t rely on just one person to staff the cash register, stock the shelves, and work as asset protection for minimum wage.
I also still maintain that a farmer’s market annex in City Market would absolutely kill there.
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Well… not sure how long you’ve been in the area, but we used to have just that. It was called City Market Produce, and people probably walk by it all the time and never know it once existed. It was located next to Vic’s and would expand into the open parking lot when it was open. Organics, local, small goods, it was awesome. I think it closed in the mid 2010s, but the hours were limited.
Current:
Before :
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