Waterbury Farms will be on the corner of Cooke and grove
An area in Waterbury has been classified as a food desert by the USDA, and now officials said residents living there will be getting some much needed relief.
According to city officials, the neighborhood near Grove Street falls under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's classification of a food desert.
"As we did community surveys the residents were always asking for another opportunity to put in some type of store that would fill the needs to the neighborhood,” said Economic Development Director Joseph McGrath.
The USDA said a food desert is a place where residents are of low-income and have low access to a supermarket. City officials said the neighborhood fits the description, with the nearest grocery store is more than half a mile away.
There used to be a C-Town Supermarket in the area but it burned down in 2007. Since then, neighbors only have bodegas and dollar stores to choose from.
"We haven't had a grocery store in this side of the town,” said Waterbury resident Sharon Miranda.
A new 12,000-square-foot Waterbury Farms is coming. The store is independently owned, and a cooperative with Key Foods which already has stores in Bridgeport and Norwalk. Not only will there be produce, but also more than 50 ripe jobs.
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City officials said ground breaks in coming weeks and completion is expected done by July 2017.
