Kroger Abandons Springfield, Ohio!

Kroger once again leaves an area where residents in need of fresh foods must travel miles to find it. South Springfield, Ohio is a food desert.

Remember Jesse Jackson called for a boycott of Kroger when it was closing up locations in Memphis, Tennessee. It looks like he might need to restart a national boycott.

In less than a week, Kroger will formally close the S. Limestone St. location in Springfield, Ohio.

There will be only two stores left in the city.

The store located on the city's southside. Once it leaves, it leaves Springfield residents south of downtown in a food desert.

Now it's closure has sparked intense criticism of the timing. At a time when Springfield residents need a decent grocer, Kroger abandons them.

Residents were blindsided by the news of the closure.

"I was devastated. I grew up right on West Southern -- so walking distance to the store," said Stephen Massey. "This is way more than just 2020 and the store leaving -- but this can affect generations to come."

City leaders condemned Kroger's decision by saying that the corporation's decision to close this location. The previous location Kroger closed in Springfield was the N. Limestone St. location about five years ago.

City leaders told the packed auditorium at The Dome what they did to negotiate a less bitter end:

• Kroger officials agreed to donate to the city the building and the land on which it sits
• Kroger officials agreed to give more than $31,000 to support shuttle services to other grocery stores
• Kroger officials agreed to contribute at least $19,000 to the food bank.

City Commissioner Dr. David Estrop said, “the bottom line is we negotiated in good faith and got everything we wanted from Kroger. You better take that home.”

The company would not have come to the table had it not been for city residents pressing their demands, he said.

City leaders encouraged residents to remain positive as they work to create a long-term solution.

"When it became clear to us that Kroger would not keep the South Limestone store open, we asked the company to do right by our community," City Manager Bryan Heck said in a prepared statement before Tuesday night’s public meeting.

"Closing this store left the community without fresh food options and would create difficulties for some individuals to reach other grocery stores due to mobility issues."

Heck said officials are moving forward in talks with potential developers and community organizations to map out a future for the South Limestone property.

"This community is resilient; I'm proud of the way that this community comes together to find solutions to difficult issues," Heck said. "We succeed when we work together, it's when we are at our best, and this community is committed to finding positive outcomes in the wake of Kroger's decision."

What will happen to the building remains uncertain.

But for right now, one of the short-term plans includes help from the Second Harvest Food Bank’s mobile food pantry program, which will set up at the Kroger site and dispatch its vehicles from the building.