[turpentyne]

Here's a little food for thought. I recently sent a request for information on getting a grocery store downtown. Eric Johnson, the Economic Development Program Manager for Phoenix, responded. Some of his points are things we've discussed here, before - such as the market demand issue:

Eric Johnson:
"... I can begin with letting you know that there are several companies in the private sector and staff in the city that are working on the challenge of bringing a grocery store to downtown Phoenix. We have been in discussions with both local and national grocery chains to find an ideal spot in downtown that works within the many requirements that are needed to bring a store to downtown and to make sure it is successful. The biggest obstacles that are faced include (1) a good location that has proper zoning, access to major roads, adequate utilities and is large enough to handle the size/space requirements of the store. A big challenge for grocers is thinking outside their usual suburban development model that requires a large amount of parking in front of the store, which then requires a lot of land to build that parking. (2) Adequately showing to the corporate entities that there is enough market demand to make their business numbers work. While we agree that there should be a store in downtown, the financing and other economic criteria such as traffic volume on certain streets, income level of those near by, number of households within a certain distance, are not yet to a level that clearly demonstrates that a store will be successful. ..."