At Long Last, Meijer Is Coming to East Jefferson

The new project brings with it questions of development, tax incentives, access, and local competition.

Jefferson Chalmers

The rumored possibility of a new Meijer grocery store on East Jefferson has been a topic of discussion for quite some time in Detroit. The since-verified project is now officially set to begin construction this fall. 

Listen: Meijer is coming to East Jefferson. 


Guest

Chad Livengood, senior editor at Crain’s Detroit Business, says the plan for the new Meijer relies on increasing population density in the Rivertown and East Jefferson neighborhoods.

“The plan is that there’s going to be more people living in that corridor,” says Livengood. The long-term goal, he says, is for that area to be more accessible and walkable. The worry though, Livengood says, is without sustained density and walkability the neighborhood will end up a replica of suburbia.

The new store brings with it the complexity of name brand competition for smaller grocery stores in the neighborhood and a development that could become a stop along the way for suburban residents rather than a neighborhood resource. 

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