A Facebook post yesterday caught our attention, as it shared the news about a new corner grocery store planned for Point Breeze. 1713 McKean St. has been sitting vacant for many years, despite the total renovation of the former Abbott Dairy building next door. It turns out, the building is owned by the same people who did such a great job renovating the dairy building, and now they're working toward a similar goal here.
Per a Space & Company blog post, a plan for a new business called Rowhome Grocery + Lunch received unanimous support at a community meeting earlier this week. We're assuming this was a Newbold Neighbors meeting, since "unanimous" and "support" are rarely heard together at meetings held by some other neighborhood groups in Point Breeze. According to the permit application, the business will have food, beverage, groceries, and takeout food on the first floor. On Facebook, someone that we assume to be one of the operators indicated that prices will be in the affordable range, specifically that they'd be lower than Green Aisle Grocery. Upstairs, plans call for a space for private dinner parties, an area for cooking classes, and a commissary. All of this sounds fabulous and we're thrilled that the community was willing to offer their support.
The project goes before the ZBA on May 11th. We don't understand why anyone would oppose this project, but it's impossible to predict such things in this area. So if you live nearby and love the project, we suggest you attend the hearing.
Assuming they get zoning, Rowhome Grocery should open by the end of the year.