An Update from County Executive Alsobrooks: Addressing Food Deserts in Prince George's County
Dear Prince Georgians:
Yesterday, I was proud to stand with County Councilman Rodney Streeter, Seat Pleasant Mayor Eugene Grant and members of my economic development team as we officially welcomed Good Food Markets to Prince George's County with their soon-to-be newest location in Addison Plaza in Seat Pleasant.
This area, along with so many others, has been designated by the USDA as "low access", or what we all know as a food desert because residents have to travel more than one mile to access fresh meats, produce and healthy food options.
The 3,800 square foot space in Addison Plaza will soon be home to a grocer that will offer a cafe with many grab-and-go healthy food options, along with fresh produce and other items that will ensure that the residents of Seat Pleasant no longer have to drive far from their homes to find a suitable place to shop for healthy food.
We understand that this one investment alone will not address food deserts in Seat Pleasant and other areas in our county. When we look at the numbers, they really are quite shocking. Approximately 15 percent of our county is classified as a food desert. This is the highest percentage in the region and it is something that we will not stand for. Our families deserve better and my administration is committed to ridding the county of all food deserts.
We have been, and will continue to be, aggressive in this area. When we heard that Shoppers Food Warehouse will eventually close all of their stores, including 12 in our county, my administration immediately reached out to Shoppers and many other grocery stores to begin discussions about back-filling those Shoppers locations with other grocery stores. We are confident that our strategy will pay off and we will be able to keep quality, name brand grocers in almost all, if not all, of those locations.
Additionally, in the coming weeks, we will be announcing our strategy to revitalize many shopping centers in our communities to bring in the specific resources that each neighborhood needs, and this will include a laser focus on addressing all of our food desert areas. There are 42 shopping centers we will target, with 27 of those located in our inner beltway communities, and we will help to improve the facade of those centers and bring in the quality retail and stores that our citizens want and deserve.
Yesterday was the first step toward reaching our goal. I am excited about what we have accomplished and even more excited about what our future holds. We are Prince George's Proud!
Yours in service,
Angela Alsobrooks
Prince George's County Executive
County Executive Alsobrooks officially welcomes Good Food Markets to Addison Plaza in Seat Pleasant.
County Executive Alsobrooks pictured with County Councilman Rodney Streeter, Seat Pleasant Mayor Eugene Grant, Economic Development Corporation President/CEO David Iannucci, and other team members of the announcement.
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