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There's no question that the closure of the downtown Safeway was a blow to a number of city residents. In particular, it was rough on those whose needs in life are often overlooked — the elderly, the disabled and those struggling financially.
It's just a short drive from the former site to the current one. About a mile and a half, or less than five minutes behind the wheel.
But that's assuming one has a car to drive, or the dexterity to operate it, or the money to put gas in the tank. A significant percentage of Roseburg's downtown population does not. Having a grocery store within walking distance means a lot when every dollar really counts.
Even gentrified downtowns strive to offer markets its residents can reach on foot. Neighborhood grocery stores, even smaller ones, contribute to a culture in which people really do bond in the tradition of Main Street, U.S.A. (Visit New Day Grocery sometime to see this in action. It's a niche market with foods not to everyone's taste, but it offers a lot more than tofu and tahini.) That connection is especially crucial to cities such as Roseburg that are seeking to revive their downtowns.
So it was disappointing, if not surprising, to learn that Roseburg city officials regard it as unlikely that a large grocery chain will opt to set up shop at the former Safeway site, or in fact anywhere downtown. City staff members told area business owners at Wednesday's meeting that the big players in the grocery business would want to bring in about $400,000 a week, or $80 per resident per week, to sustain a downtown market. But it's more realistic to expect $30 per resident per week, according to a report presented by Community Development Director Brian Davis.
City staffers also described the former Safeway site as “hard to access,” which seems puzzling to us. It has easily accessible streets all around it.
Still, we appreciate their efforts in drawing up a short list of smaller grocery stores they'd like to persuade to move in somewhere downtown. And it took a certain amount of touching bravado to include Trader Joe's. True, the trendy TJ has already taken a pass, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
Meanwhile the city continues to talk with other stores, several of them locally based, in the quest to bring the words “Cleanup on aisle 6!” back to Roseburg's core. Proposals also are being floated to raze the old store — with the city agreeing to pick up the $100,000 tab for demolition in return for an agreement that the new owners will set aside at least one-fourth of the property for a public park or other gathering area.
Some may question whether shopping for a downtown grocery store needs to be so high on the city's to-do list. But if Roseburg can attract a reasonably priced market within hoofing distance of some of its more vulnerable citizens, we say it's worth the effort and investment.
For once, we'd like to see the nonsqueaky grocery cart wheel get the grease.
It's just a short drive from the former site to the current one. About a mile and a half, or less than five minutes behind the wheel.
But that's assuming one has a car to drive, or the dexterity to operate it, or the money to put gas in the tank. A significant percentage of Roseburg's downtown population does not. Having a grocery store within walking distance means a lot when every dollar really counts.
Even gentrified downtowns strive to offer markets its residents can reach on foot. Neighborhood grocery stores, even smaller ones, contribute to a culture in which people really do bond in the tradition of Main Street, U.S.A. (Visit New Day Grocery sometime to see this in action. It's a niche market with foods not to everyone's taste, but it offers a lot more than tofu and tahini.) That connection is especially crucial to cities such as Roseburg that are seeking to revive their downtowns.
So it was disappointing, if not surprising, to learn that Roseburg city officials regard it as unlikely that a large grocery chain will opt to set up shop at the former Safeway site, or in fact anywhere downtown. City staff members told area business owners at Wednesday's meeting that the big players in the grocery business would want to bring in about $400,000 a week, or $80 per resident per week, to sustain a downtown market. But it's more realistic to expect $30 per resident per week, according to a report presented by Community Development Director Brian Davis.
City staffers also described the former Safeway site as “hard to access,” which seems puzzling to us. It has easily accessible streets all around it.
Still, we appreciate their efforts in drawing up a short list of smaller grocery stores they'd like to persuade to move in somewhere downtown. And it took a certain amount of touching bravado to include Trader Joe's. True, the trendy TJ has already taken a pass, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
Meanwhile the city continues to talk with other stores, several of them locally based, in the quest to bring the words “Cleanup on aisle 6!” back to Roseburg's core. Proposals also are being floated to raze the old store — with the city agreeing to pick up the $100,000 tab for demolition in return for an agreement that the new owners will set aside at least one-fourth of the property for a public park or other gathering area.
Some may question whether shopping for a downtown grocery store needs to be so high on the city's to-do list. But if Roseburg can attract a reasonably priced market within hoofing distance of some of its more vulnerable citizens, we say it's worth the effort and investment.
For once, we'd like to see the nonsqueaky grocery cart wheel get the grease.
