La Tiendita, or the Little Store, is one of the community-based e orts to bring food access to the east side. Meanwhile, superstores, such as H-E-B, are slated to open on the west side. Neiighborhood grocers
for goods and rent have contributed to the need for a ordable food options. “If you can’t a ord the food, hav- ing the store closer to you doesn’t make it a ordable.” Menchaca said. “I mean if you throw in an H E B … [it] doesn’t mean that people can a ord to go there.” With food pantries and specialty stores the most prominent options in east McKinney, resident Jason Hernandez said he wanted to create a sense of normalcy with a neighbor- hood grocery store. “When you don’t have fruits and vegetables around, or you don’t have poultry, milk and eggs, you just start thinking you don’t need it,” he said. Construction on La Tiendita is underway and nearing completion for early this summer, Hernandez said. Hernandez is the founder and executive director of Aspiring Lati- nos Achieving Success Together, a local nonpro t leadership-building program for Latino students in high school. The nonpro t can work in tan- dem with the store, Hernandez said. At the store, those who qualify as low income will receive groceries for free or at a discounted rate. But such quali cations are not required to shop there, he said. People who live on the east side have a hard time accessing fresh fruits and vegetables, he said. This store will be within walking distance or a short drive away for many people. Hernandez said he wants to create a store where people feel empowered. “Some people have that pride where they don’t want to go into a place [if] it’s free,” he said. “So here, we want to kind of get rid of that stigma.”
March 2022 H-E-B breaks ground at Eldorado Parkway location
May 2022 La Tiendita lease signed at 902 Greenville Road
August 2022 La Tiendita construction starts
Early summer 2023 La Tiendita opening
Summer 2023 H-E-B opening
SOURCES: LA TIENDITA, H E B COMMUNITY IMPACT
bring retailers to the east side. Retail- ers also reach out and request infor- mation on given areas for potential businesses, but company o cials ultimately choose where to locate, Schneible said. Schneible said the development corporation has been working to nd a grocer for the east side. Corporation o cials work with retail coaches, who help cities identify new retail options and help recruit those retailers. “We’ve had continued conversa- tions with potential grocery stores over the past couple of years and up to this point,” she said. On the east side, there is more industrial land and fewer houses than on the west side, McKinney Assistant City Manager Kim Flom said. “[Retailers] want a certain number of houses; they want certain cars; they want access from an intersection; all these things … are not things the city can control,” Flom said. “Retailers love to be in places where people live and work, [and where] cars drive by all the time, so geography in and of itself, you have an area that on the east side, like, they’re not seeing a lot of houses.” McKinney City Council outlined the food desert as a priority it would like to tackle in the coming year. Flom said
Street. City o cials see it as a grocery store alternative. The store is close to where people live, but it may not be seen as an option to all, because it may not have the selection people want, Beller said. “I think that in many cases there are options,” Beller said. There are other nontraditional food supplier options in the area that include nonpro t organizations, such as the Community Food Pantry, Com- munity Garden Kitchen and Commu- nity Lifeline Center, he said. Even with these alternative options, Beller said there are areas for improvement, including convenience, location, selection and quality. The 75069 ZIP code has one of the highest demands for food needs, according to data from the North Texas Food Bank. Its area includes the eastern portion of McKinney. “The unfortunate reason for that is the lack of awareness,” said Steve Menchaca, the Community Food Pan- try executive director. “Because of all the organizations that are in McKin- ney, really, you shouldn’t be hungry.” A neighborhood store The food issue in east McKinney goes beyond a lack of traditional options, Menchaca said. Higher costs
there is the potential for the city to do a study to determine whether the fed- eral food desert de ned by the USDA applies to the area when local infor- mation like nontraditional grocery stores is taken into account. There are food alternatives on the east side where residents, who may not have cars or want to travel to the west side, can nd fresh food through places that include the Community Food Pantry and other nonpro ts, Flom said. “I would love to see more informa- tion on the need, because I’ve heard a want,” Flom said. “I haven’t always Council Member Justin Beller, who holds the District 1 seat that encom- passes portions of east McKinney, said there are gaps in food variety in the area. “There are certainly gaps in selec- tion, of quality and [in] convenience for lots of people,” Beller said. “But in terms of access to certain varieties, the proximity to El Rancho, or other places that can provide or overcome some of those gaps is not ideal. But it’s there.” El Rancho, a specialty Hispanic food store, is located on North McDonald heard the need.” Eastside options
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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