tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4670547542156136826.post3639507101538855246..comments2024-03-10T03:08:26.496-05:00Comments on The Sixth Ward: Remember the Whole Foods Market groundbreaking from earlier this month?Levoishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11738239742618133212noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4670547542156136826.post-68897678997764934492014-08-25T09:42:31.763-05:002014-08-25T09:42:31.763-05:00It certainly is possible that the long- to medium-...It certainly is possible that the long- to medium-term consequence will be the gentrification of Englewood and displacement of its current residents.<br /><br />But I'm also concerned about the short term consequence. From what little information I could glean, the city (through the TIF district) is heavily subsidizing the cost of construction, which is one of the biggest expenses for a supermarket. Add to that the various tax credits and incentives Whole Foods will receive for building in this neighborhood and I wonder if the value of the new store is not as a store that serves the community, but rather as a store that basically exists to generate losses and tax credits that are used to reduce the taxes required to be paid by other Whole Foods stores.<br /><br />One has to wonder about the commitment to serve the community that already exists of a store that is essentially in business to generate tax credits.<br /><br />Maybe I am wrong -- Whole Foods certainly has not revealed its business plan in any detail. But it's a question that I would like to see answered before I am comfortable with the idea that the answer to a food desert is an upscale, overpriced supermarket.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com