A former Atlantic Beach official is pushing back on plans to develop city-owned land into a small-scale grocery concept at the northern end of Mayport Road.
Former Mayor Ellen Glasser expressed concerns about plans to sell a 1.25-acre parcel of city-owned land near the intersection of Mayport Road and Wonderwood, saying the proposal was made without any public participation.
“I was really kind of concerned about the way that was presented without community input, staff input, how the realtor was selected, negotiations, all of that,” she said during Monday's regular City Commission meeting.
Mayor Curtis Ford acknowledged he had numerous conversations while in office to help find a solution to the food desert issue on Mayport Road. He said the proposal was not an attempt to circumvent public process to accommodate a new development.
“This wasn't an outreach by the city. This was an engagement by the city Mayor, that's me. And I spoke to developers, I spoke to realtors, I spoke to builders, I spoke to everyone I could speak to about the food desert over the past almost three years. It's as simple as that,” he said. “I'm going to cross my fingers that we continue this process favorably to a good conclusion.”
Glasser said she conducted her own independent survey of the brand's location on Normandy Boulevard in Jacksonville. What she found was low inventory. “I also brought pictures of my survey which showed the very sparsely stocked shelves at the market,” she said. “I believe this is a bandaid, not even remotely a fix because a food desert is defined as access to certain neighbors of a large grocery store.”
Mayport Road currently has a mix of convenience stores and smaller discount options including Family Dollar and Dollar Tree, she said.
“Do we really need another one that has a fancy new branding sign for the DG Market that is not well-stocked? We have the commissary, we have the BEAM food pantry and we have Walgreens,” Glasser said.
“I think that this can be addressed in more creative ways with unleased space in Atlantic Beach and in partnership with Jacksonville since this is something that benefits Jacksonville residents, not Atlantic Beach residents.”
On Aug. 13, Atlantic Beach officials voted unanimously to support negotiations to sell the city-owned parcel at 2880 Mayport Road to Teramore Development to accommodate the proposed DG Market, a smaller-scale grocery concept that offers fresh food and other essentials.
The city acquired the property in 1991 for possible utility expansion for the Buccaneer Trailer Park. The proposed $875,000 purchase price would provide a financial benefit to the city amid budget uncertainties surrounding the property tax initiative on the November ballot.
Dollar General introduced the DG Market concept in 2003. The stores are slightly larger than traditional Dollar General stores and were developed as the retailer expanded into fresh meat and produce. DG Market stores account for about 1% of Dollar General's total store count.
The format offers many of the same departments as a traditional supermarket but with smaller selections, including fresh meat, expanded produce, refrigerated and frozen foods, dairy products and general merchandise.
Not everyone is on board with the proposed plans. Amy Krystal, a Mayport resident, said inventory is often inconsistent at smaller brand outlets, resulting in multiple trips to different stores just to purchase what she needs.
“It's extremely frustrating to get myself and children into the car to get a gallon of milk and realize they don't have any milk whatsoever in stock. Then we are forced to go across the street to either Walgreens or RaceTrac and spend double the amount of money,” she said.
“In the end, this takes just as much time and effort as it does to just go straight to a grocery store on Atlantic [Boulevard].”
DG Market has existing building designs ranging from 8,000 to 10,000 square feet, allowing a store to fit on a single parcel without assembling additional property.
Commissioner Thomas Grant said inventory at a single location isn't an appropriate metric for holding a franchise accountable. The store could have been between stock deliveries or nearing closing time when the photos were taken. He called the criticism an “obtuse” attempt to discredit the effort to redevelop the site into a project with public benefit when there are no other options on the table.
“Taking care of that food desert is a very important thing,” he said. “I also came in contact with a couple of residents of Mayport and they think it is an awesome idea. There are other DG Market stores to look at and they are in much better shape than what was presented tonight. If anybody else has any better ideas about how to put a food market there, hey, you are welcome to share with us. Instead of taking cheap shots, bring a solution.”
One option would see the city applying the $875,000 in proceeds to pay down existing debts, including the Selva Preserve, said Commissioner Jessica Ring.
“We owe, I believe it was $900,000. The sale of the lot that is sitting there in the city of Jacksonville, the people over there in north beach are people, too, and absolutely would utilize a grocery store. If we say no to the DG Market, that does not mean that Trader Joe's is going to pick it up or Aldi is going to pick it up,” she said.
“I cannot in good conscience not support a grocery store for the people in that area. I don't understand how you could look at this as a negative thing. It makes no sense to me. If we sell that lot, we could pay back the debt to the Selva Preserve. It is a win-win.”
Shellie Thole, who ran unopposed for Seat 5 on the Neptune Beach City Council, cautioned city leaders to do their due diligence before agreeing to the sale of surplus property.
“What is the guarantee that they would stick to that business model of fresh veggies,” she said. “Selling city land is not a light decision.”
While he is concerned that another DG Market store may not be “fulfilling its own mission,” Ford said he found the new location in Palatka to be a clean, fully stocked grocery store.
“I think that's what keeps getting lost on people. This is not a Dollar General store. This is a brand owned by Dollar General that is a DG Market,” he said. “They are bringing in quality groceries to areas that are deficient, food deserts and so on. It is not the full-sized grocery that we are all used to but it is better than the zero that we have today. I do hope we continue to focus on the positive side of it.”
Ellen Glasser, the former Mayor of Atlantic Beach and current resident, is on Beaches News d/b/a Beach Gazette’s Board of Directors. Those who serve on the Board have no control of the content or editorial decisions for Beach Gazette.
