The Century Square shopping center, originally developed to house a grocery store, is empty following Walmart’s departure more than a month ago. Now, neighborhood advocates and residents say it may take some creativity to alleviate the food desert that’s resulted.
Neighborhood advocates and residents of northwest Aurora say they’re determined to find a way to return grocery access to a stretch of the Colfax corridor where Walmart closed its doors at 10400 E. Colfax Ave. in June.
People living in the neighborhood say Walmart was often the most affordable and reliable option for food and household necessities for the community, which already faces high rates of food insecurity. Approximately two-thirds of northwest Aurorans express difficulties accessing food, compared to 11 percent statewide, according to Caitlin Matthews, executive director of Food Justice NW Aurora.
Food prices are among the biggest obstacles, she said during a July meeting hosted by the organization. The event at Montview Elementary School attracted nearly 100 northwest Aurora residents, business owners, city officials, lawmakers, and community volunteers who discussed the closure’s impact and potential short and long term solutions.
Caitlin Matthews, executive director of Food Justice NW Aurora, talks to attendees at a July 13 community meeting about high rates of food insecurity in the neighborhood. Residents say they fear worsening access to grocery stores amid Walmart’s closure.
Walmart’s closure has forced many to travel to grocery stores several miles away or spend more money at smaller local markets that don’t tend to carry all of the items or offer all of the services a chain grocery store does.
“Many of these residents rely on the 15 and 105 (bus routes) for their mode of transportation, which can be costly. There is a huge need for things that are within walking distance. Walmart was that for them. This has been devastating. There’s a six-mile stretch before you can get to a full-service grocery store,” says Mateos Alvarez, executive director of the Aurora Economic Opportunity Coalition.
Drew Shaw, property manager of the Century Square shopping center, says his family, who has owned the former Walmart building for decades, wants to see a grocery store return to the space.
Alvarez and others point to a high shrink rate—or loss in revenue due in part to shoplifting—as a driver of the store’s closure. A Walmart spokesperson said in a statement “…there is no single reason these decisions are made, but the criteria and standards we have in place for running a healthy business include current and projected financial performance, location, population, customer needs, and the proximity of other nearby stores.”
“The profit margin was just not there for that grocery store,” Alvarez says, and he fears that it might not be for any large grocery chain at that location. Walmart was the third grocery store to vacate the retail space since the Century Square shopping center was built in 1986 to accommodate a King Soopers store. It closed in 2006.
Still, community partners say more options are needed in the neighborhood and Drew Shaw, whose family developed Century Square and plans to keep it a family business for generations to come, would like to see another grocery store fill the space.
“Since the closure, we’ve had offers for the space and land, but we’d really like to see it stay a grocery store,” he says. “That’s what it was built for, and it’s what the community needs.”
The Salvation Army and other organizations offer boxes of supplies and fresh food during a pop-up event at the Century Square shopping center.
Walmart still has five years left on the lease, according to Shaw, who works as the shopping center’s property manager. At the community meeting, he emphasized to residents the family’s commitment to the space and to the people who live nearby.
“We want to take care of this food desert problem,” he says. “We want to stay here and provide a service.”
Community members and advocates say the problem may require a unique solution. Some residents offered suggestions of farmers markets while a more permanent solution comes to fruition. Others envisioned a co-op model that could provide some ownership from the community. At the meeting, many residents stressed that the Walmart closure represents bigger underlying issues that residents are facing, like rising housing prices and job instability, and should also be of consideration when seeking a solution.
Beyond fresh food, the closure also limited pharmacy access and options to shop for household items, like laundry detergent or in Shaw’s case, batteries, which he told residents he couldn’t find at nearby convenience stores or the Walgreens located across the street.
Some in the neighborhood say they worry Walmart’s exit will prompt other nearby businesses to do the same, and that national consolidation trends will further hurt the neighborhood. Earlier this year, Walgreens announced it will close a quarter of its stores across the country, and the pending Kroger-Albertsons merger may lead to the closure of several grocery stores across Denver and Aurora.
“Residents are expressing fears that with closures, there’s a question of impact on surrounding stores,” Matthews says. “Can they accommodate the number of increased shoppers? Can they keep their shelves stocked?”
For now, local advocates say they plan to keep the momentum going and continue community outreach until a solution is reached.
“I believe in the human spirit and the more we organize, the more support we can build from it,” Alvarez says. “We have community members, the shopping center owner, and elected officials who want to help us move the needle.”
Front Porch photos by Christie Gosch
0 Comments