Grocery Wars, Grocery Stores.

     At the same time the City of Montgomery is consider a moratorium on new big box grocers (more on why in a moment), the Alabama Legislature is considering incentives for grocery stores to locate in areas that have no stores selling fresh veggies.  And as the map below shows, there is a real shortage in many parts of the state.

     The child advocacy group VOICES explains the legislation on their website.   
     Will it win approval in the super-majority Republican legislature? Hard to tell, but the program will cost money and the General Fund is as poor as I've seen it. 

  Meanwhile, the Montgomery City Council will vote tonight on the moratorium...the result of some residents near Vaughn and Taylor roads being unhappy that Wal-Mart is going to build a groceries-only store on a large empty plot of land that is zoned for business. I suspect there would be fewer voices of protest if it were a Whole Foods or Fresh Market.
   And also to consider, the city has been hunting a grocer willing to locate a new store in the Dexter Avenue area, to serve the growing downtown loft-dwelling population. Would the moratorium make an exception if Wal-Mart said it would locate that store there?

[UPDATE: The measure was tabled, but a committee was formed to address the concerns of the residents near the proposed Wal-Mart.]