$$5 Million-plus from Mecklenburg County, Charlotte City Council and HUD will support a new Cooperative Grocery Store for West Boulevard
West Charlotte will soon be home to a for-profit, cooperative grocery store. A capital campaign to fund the $10 million cost of the co-op on West Boulevard and Clanton Road has been given a notable boost with funding commitments from key public funding sources, most significantly Mecklenburg County, the project’s longest-standing supporter and partner.
In addition to $3.25 million from Mecklenburg County, the Charlotte City Council has pledged $1.5 million and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has pledged $750,000 (with advocacy from North Carolina Congresswoman Alma Adams) to the West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition, the nonprofit organization leading development efforts.
Long identified as a “food desert,” West Boulevard is on its way to redefining the neighborhood’s proximity to fresh foods for residents. When it opens in 2025, the co-op – dubbed by community residents as Three Sisters Market – will be the first full-service grocery store on West Boulevard in more than 30 years and include community education and gathering spaces beyond the typical grocery store. It will provide what community leaders define as a catalyst for emerging economic development in the area related to food production, retail and distribution.