A long-awaited grocery store in Sun Valley will be opening its doors this month.
Denver City Council on Monday took the second-to-last step toward finalizing payment for the already-completed Decatur Fresh, a 1,800-square-foot store located at West 10th Avenue and Decatur Street. The market was previously called GROW.
The store will provide Sun Valley with a much-needed grocer, stocking fresh produce, grab-and-go food and basic necessities. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, an area is considered a food desert when at least 500 people, or 33 percent of the area population, lives more than one mile away from a a supermarket or large grocery store.
For reference, the nearest grocery store to the Decatur Fresh is Mi Pueblo Market, which is considered a small-market store, not a supermarket, by the city. Mi Pueblo is about a mile and half away, which is a five-minute drive from the intersection but also a 30-minute walk per Google Maps.
The Market is part of the $240 million Gateway project, a mixed-use complex with storefronts, including the Decatur Fresh, on the first floor, and both affordable and market-rate apartments.
The Gateway project, run by the Denver Housing Authority, started in 2018 and the agency received a $750,000 loan for the Decatur Fresh in 2019.
The pandemic slowed down the store's construction and also delayed necessary administrative tasks, according to Chelsea Rosty, the director of communications for Denver Economic Development & Opportunity.
Rosty added that DHA recently received a certificate of occupancy. There will be a grand opening later this month.
Monday's City Council vote moved toward a contract extension relating to the DHA loan for the market.
"The contract is being extended merely as an administrative step, allowing the city to pay its final invoices from the Denver Housing Authority," Rosty said.
Do you live in Sun Valley? Will this grocery store help you? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
