JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Neighbors living near the Harvey’s Supermarket on West 48th Street were facing the possibility of living in a food desert, with the grocery store slated for closure.
But after the closure became a sticking point in negotiations over a multi-million dollar incentive deal to keep Winn-Dixie’s headquarters in Jacksonville, the grocery chain has committed to keeping the store open.
As part of the incentive package, the city would pay Winn-Dixie $12 million in exchange for a commitment from the grocer to invest $65 million over 20 years and add 200 local six-figure salary jobs.
“I don’t have any problem with Winn-Dixie being in Jacksonville, Florida. But that’s a lot of money to close a store,” said Reverend Reginald Gundy with the Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church.
Gundy and other faith leaders raised concerns about the deal during the Council Finance Committee meeting Wednesday.
He argued that while the deal may have sounded appealing on paper, the community living near the Harvey’s Supermarket on West 48th Street only stood to lose, as the store was slated for closure, even if the deal went through.
“That particular store was not on their radar,” Gundy said. ”They were gonna close it and that was it.”
The Council Finance Committee put the entire incentive deal on pause after learning about the issue during that meeting, especially after Winn-Dixie representatives acknowledged the West 48th Street Harvey’s was a “reasonably strong” performing store.
Councilmember Ju’Coby Pittman (D-District 10), whose district includes the store, explained that closing it would create a new food desert in an already under-resourced neighborhood.
“You’re taking out of a community that is a low-income community who needs a grocery store with fresh produce and food,” Pittman said.
Pittman told Action News Jax Thursday afternoon that she got a call from Winn-Dixie representatives Wednesday night, telling her they’d agree to the new terms and keep the store open to keep the incentive package moving forward.
“And if we all agree, then we’ll be happy to support Winn-Dixie staying here because the Davis family has proven that they love this community and they’ve invested in this community for many years,” Pittman said.
Pittman is still hosting a meeting on the West 48th Street Harvey’s issue on Friday.
She said she hopes to hammer out amendment language protecting the store during the meeting.
That language would then be added to the incentive deal before the final vote Tuesday night.
Below is a full statement from Meredith Hurley, Senior Director of Communications and Community for The Winn-Dixie Company:
We can confirm that we are delaying the previously anticipated mid-May closure of the Harveys Supermarket located at 201 W. 48th St. as we continue conversations with the City of Jacksonville.
We have listened closely to our customers, and we remain committed to exploring every viable opportunity to continue serving the Brentwood community. We do not take any decisions that affect this community lightly, which is why we have invested, and will continue to invest, in our nearby full-service Winn-Dixie store located less than one mile away at 5210 Norwood Ave. While we are in discussions, we remain focused on evaluating solutions with city leaders to determine how best to meet this community’s needs.
As part of those discussions, The Winn-Dixie Company has requested City support related to a proposed $12 million incentive package to retain our Store Support Center in Jacksonville. That support would help enable a commitment to a $65 million capital investment by The Winn-Dixie Company in our hometown of Jacksonville through continued investment in and renewal of stores in Duval County, our Edgewood campus and job creation over the next five years.
While discussions are ongoing and no final decisions have been made, the store will remain open as we continue to evaluate all available options, with a focus on serving our customers and supporting our associates.
We recognize the importance of this store to our associates, customers and the neighborhood, and we appreciate the engagement and passion shown by community members. While many variables can affect next steps throughout this process, we will continue to share timely updates as any decisions are made.
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