Mayor Brandon Johnson explores Chicago-owned grocery store

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will explore the possibility of a city-owned grocery store, an idea long supported by activists to provide relief for neighborhoods without good shopping options but that could run into stiff economic headwinds.

Johnson announced a partnership with the Economic Security Project to explore the possibility of a city-owned grocery store. The first step will be to perform a feasibility study, though the city did not provide a timeline.

“All Chicagoans deserve to live near convenient, affordable, healthy grocery options. We know access to grocery stores is already a challenge for many residents, especially on the South and West sides,” Johnson said in a statement. “A better, stronger, safer future is one where our youth and our communities have access to the tools and resources they need to thrive. My administration is committed to advancing innovative, whole-of-government approaches to address these inequities.”

Food insecurity and a lack of shopping options is a long-standing problem.

Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel attempted to address food insecurity by promoting an effort to end food deserts, a goal he didn’t achieve, and bringing a Whole Foods to Englewood, which was shuttered after several years in operation. While former Mayor Lori Lightfoot criticized companies for closing stores in primarily Black and brown neighborhoods, she also faced questions about replacing the Whole Foods in Englewood with a Save-A- Lot.

The idea of a municipally owned grocery has been implemented in some small towns but is largely untested in larger cities.

Ex-Ald. Ameya Pawar praised the idea, comparing it to other public goods subsidized by government.

“The city of Chicago is reimagining the role government can play in our lives by exploring a public option for grocery stores via a municipally owned grocery store and market,” said Pawar, senior adviser at Economic Security Project. “Not dissimilar from the way a library or the postal service operates, a public option offers economic choice and power to communities.”

Sam Sánchez, a prominent Chicago restaurateur, tweeted the intent was noble but that the idea wasn’t good, as the city would be “operating in the red and (losing) tax payers money.”

“Control crime and business will come,” Sanchez tweeted.

gpratt@chicagotribune.com