Mayor Muriel Bowser is calling on the D.C. Council to support the use of eminent domain in a bid to reanimate stalled plans for a new Ward 7 grocery store.
The District has a preliminary agreement with a major grocer to open a 55K SF location at Capitol Gateway Marketplace, the long-planned development where Walmart backed out of a deal in 2016, Bowser’s office said in a release Thursday.
Bowser said using eminent domain is necessary to move this deal forward, otherwise the site at the intersection of East Capitol Street NE and 58th Street NE could remain empty until 2037.
“We will restart this long-stalled project and take the steps necessary to deliver a full-service grocer and other retail amenities to the residents of Ward 7,” Bowser said in a joint press release with the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. “Our residents and families East of the River deserve an array of fresh and healthy food options and we will not stop until that goal is fulfilled.”
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Jacob Wallace over at Bis Now
