WORCESTER — Days after it was announced the Lincoln Plaza Stop & Shop was one of eight in the state to close and a city councilor requested the city try to prevent the closure, councilors are planning a meeting to discuss the matter.
During Tuesday's City Council meeting, District 1 City Councilor Jennifer Pacillo, who represents the northern Lincoln Street area, and other councilors talked about the significance of the Stop & Shop to the nearby neighborhoods as a full-service grocery store that is easily accessible.
"Residents are concerned...a lot of these people walk to the grocery store," Pacillo said. "I understand (Aldi) is there — I go to (Aldi). It is not a full-service grocery store...people deserve access to healthy, fresh foods."
Wednesday, a spokesperson for Stop & Shop said the company proactively reached out to City Manager Eric D. Batista to discuss the closure and to reassure residents that Stop & Shop is committed to ensuring access to high-quality food.
The company announced Friday that the 545 Lincoln St. Stop & Shop would be among the stores to close by Nov. 2. Thirty-two stores are slated to close including the Shrewsbury Stop & Shop at 539-571 Boston Turnpike.
In May, Stop & Shop's parent company, Dutch-based Ahold Delhaize , announced it would close underperforming locations. Ahold Delhaize executives said at the time the company would be taking into account brand density, the position each store holds in the market and how well it performs.
Customers interviewed last week were disappointed to hear about the impending closing. While there is a nearby Aldi, which is a low-cost alternative to many supermarkets, and a Target that sells groceries, customers said Stop & Shop is the only full supermarket with a wide selection.
The Stop & Shop is a roughly five-minute drive from the working-class Great Brook Valley neighborhood. The area has lost a few businesses in recent years including Dick's Sporting Goods and a Denny's .
The planned loss of the Stop & Shop also concerns the Worcester Housing Authority. In a Tuesday statement, Housing Authority CEO Alex Corrales said the grocery store is important for Worcester Housing Authority tenants in the nearby Great Brook Valley Gardens complex.
“Like many others, I was caught off guard by the news that Stop & Shop would be closing its doors for good,” Corrales said. “Many of our residents in the Great Brook Valley area rely on this location for their food shopping needs. It is convenient and easily accessible by bus or on foot for those who lack their own transportation. These are mostly low-income residents with children and losing this particular supermarket will absolutely have a negative impact on them.”
The Housing Authority frequently distributes Stop & Shop gift cards to residents of Great Brook Valley Gardens and Curtis Apartments, according to the statement.
Pacillo requested that Batista meet with representatives from Stop & Shop in an effort to prevent the closure. In addition, she asked Batista to provide a report about any conversations and progress on the store's status. She shared that Stop & Shop has already reached back to the city to schedule a meeting.
If Stop & Shop does leave as planned, Pacillo said, she hopes to work with the city to find a suitable tenant for the vacant space — particularly another grocery store.
District 2 City Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson, who represents another portion of Lincoln Street, said losing the Stop & Shop would be a "hardship" for residents.
"I certainly do understand that we can't control sometimes what these corporations do, but I do think it's worth talking to Stop & Shop," Mero-Carlson said.
Councilor-at-Large Khrystian King said the grocery store is also an employer for the city and an anchor for the rest of the plaza. He requested that Batista also concurrently work on considering possible future tenants of the space if Stop & Shop were to leave.
Street safety
In addition to the Stop & Shop item, the City Council discussed several street safety orders following two recent serious crashes involving children. The crashes have brought renewed attention to pedestrian safety in the city.
Gianna Rose Simoncini, 13, died after she was struck by a Honda Acura traveling west on Belmont Street June 27.
A 1-year-old girl was struck by a vehicle after running into the street in the area of 243 Lincoln St. June 24. She suffered a head injury.
An order from Mero-Carlson was unanimously sent to the manager's office. She requested Commissioner of Transportation and Mobility Stephen Rolle work with the state Department of Transportation to review pedestrian safety measures along the entire length of Belmont Street and the lower end of Lincoln Street to determine any possible improvements.
District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj requested that Batista declare a public health and safety emergency for vulnerable road users and also for Batista to provide a report on the funding limitations the city faces around addressing both short- and long-term changes the city could implement that would assist vulnerable road users.
Haxhiaj's request for a report on funding limitations was unanimously approved while Councilor-at-Large Morris Bergman used his privilege as a councilor to delay action on the measure to the next City Council meeting.
Bergman said he wanted a report from the law department on whether such an action impacts City Council authority by granting powers to the city administration.
Haxhiaj said her motion was meant to be a symbolic gesture to raise awareness about the risk vulnerable road users face and said she would be willing to submit it in the form of a resolution if need be.
Haxhiaj also requested for the city to wrap up its survey collecting community input on lowering the statutory speed limit from 30 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour so the data could be more quickly itemized for an August meeting of the Standing Committee on Traffic and Parking so the proposal could more quickly advance. The request was sent to the manager.
Mero-Carlson also requested a report on crashes in Shrewsbury and Lincoln streets and Lake Avenue.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: City councilor: Worcester officials, Stop & Shop will meet to discuss store closure
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