(The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s latest executive order directs city officials to explore acquiring former grocery stores to address current and potential food deserts.
Harrell’s executive order directs city staff to specifically focus on the Fred Meyer grocery store in the Lake City neighborhood, which is set to close later this month. The city would then find a third party to operate the site. The store’s closure has raised alarms in the community, as it would turn Lake City into a food desert with limited access to affordable, nutritious food.
The executive order directs city departments – including the Office of Planning and Community Development, the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections and the Office of Economic Development – to identify other locations in Seattle that are currently or are at risk of becoming food deserts…