Invest Atlanta Asked About Grocery Store Shortage

“Southwest Atlanta deserves more,” Boone said. “And as long as we hold these seats, we will fight for our neighborhoods. We are not going to remain silent because it is not fair. They pay taxes and deserve something from Invest Atlanta.

Invest Atlanta President and CEO Eloisa Klementich, Senior Vice President of Economic Development Noah Downer and Chief Financial Officer Nino Chiappetta attended the briefing.

Addressing council members’ concerns, Klementich said Invest Atlanta targets trade conferences to market underserved areas to grocery stores and retailers, but some of them are still reluctant.

“We’re asking grocers to make decisions going forward, and they’re not there yet,” she said.

She cited a partnership with Nourish + Bloom Market, which received a $600,000 economic opportunity fund for container grocery stores at Pittsburgh Yards and another District 11 location. But she acknowledged that more could be done any further.

In recent years, the city has taken steps to reduce food insecurity and food deserts. In 2015, just over half of the city’s residents lived within a half-mile of grocery stores offering fresh produce, but that figure increased to 75% of residents in 2020, according to the report on access to fresh food in the city.

During their presentation, Invest Atlanta officials said one of their priorities for fiscal year 2025 is attracting large supermarket and grocery store chains.

“We will continue to focus on attracting grocery stores, improving our neighborhood markets and supporting innovative models,” Downer said.

But District 11 Councilwoman Marci Collier Overstreet echoed other officials when she said it wasn’t clear to her from the presentation how much investment would go to her district . She said this is the seventh year in a row she has tried to secure financing in southwest Atlanta, specifically for a grocery store.

“I know you emphasize that you prioritize groceries, but this is year seven,” she said. “We still don’t have one.”

During the presentation, officials recounted some of the agency’s accomplishments. These included $9 million in direct investment in small business programs and aid to 843 small businesses.

Invest Atlanta said it secured $20 million in grants from Wells Fargo and provided $6.2 million in loans and grants to small businesses. He said 80% of the companies he funded were black-owned and 73% were women-owned.

Finance Director Chiappetta said the authority’s proposed budget trend for the Department of Economic Development is $3.5 million with an overall budget increase of $500,000 for fiscal year 2025.