By Nate Gilgeous
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
La Cité Development has entered into a definitive agreement to establish Market Fresh Gourmet as a full-service fresh foods grocery at its Center\West site, Mayor Brandon Scott said Wednesday.
“The quality of produce and nutritious options inside a local grocery store will tell you a lot about the surrounding community, and residents in the Poppleton neighborhood deserve better,” Scott said.
“This City/West venture helps address the food desert predicament in Southwest Baltimore by expanding access to healthy food while also providing job opportunities to local residents,” he added. “I look forward to welcoming Market Fresh Gourmet to the community.”
Center\West is a large-scale redevelopment of 32.94 acres of land in the Poppleton neighborhood of Southwest Baltimore. La Cité Development will ultimately build 3.2 million square feet creating approximately 1,800 units of mixed housing. The agreement will bring an 8,000 square foot grocery on-site to the area, which is considered a food desert – an area with limited access to affordable and nutritious food.
Market Fresh Gourmet, a minority-owned Maryland-based business, in partnership with Arctaris Impact Fund, a fund focused on building sustainable communities in Baltimore City, will focus on local employment opportunities with recruitment and training efforts through its workforce development programs. The grocer will provide fresh foods and prepared foods along with classes and special events for the neighborhood
“Life gets better for our residents when government works in partnership with the private sector to create results like bringing Market Fresh Gourmet to a food desert,” City Council President Nick J. Mosby said.
“This grocery store will be a place where families can get veggies, fruit, meat, cheeses — all the fresh foods they need to keep their bodies and minds nourished,” Mosby explained. “And not only that, Market Fresh Gourmet will boost real estate values in the community, bring new vibrancy to Poppleton and support homegrown jobs created by one of Maryland’s proud minority-owned businesses. This is truly great news coming this spring for our pandemic-weary residents.”
Construction is anticipated to begin in the Spring on the northwest corner of the site at Fayette and Schroder Street, officials said.