The Norcross Department of Economic Development has hired Taproot, a placemaking consulting firm that specializes in food-oriented economic development, to conduct a feasibility study in the city to determine the type of local food-enterprise the city could support. The city hopes to “create a market center that will improve the community’s access to fresh produce and groceries, further stimulate local investment in the food market, and draw visitors from the around the metro area.”
Norcross qualifies as a “low-access community,” or Food Desert, when at least 500 people, or 33 percent of the population, resides more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store. With an estimated population of 17,000, Norcross is 2.8 miles to the closest Publix, 3 miles to the closest Aldi, and 4 miles to the closest Walmart grocery store.
According to Norcross Mayor Craig Newton, “Building a food network from within the city would fill the food gap that some residents are experiencing, as well as providing local economic opportunities.”
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