Pittsburgh's Hill District will get a full-service grocery store for the first time since the 1980s. Construction will begin this fall, and the new 29,500 sq. ft. Shop n Save will open by Thanksgiving, 2011 on Centre Avenue across from the Hill House.
57-year Hill District resident Norman Battle says for too long, grocery shopping has meant long treks to Oakland and the South Side or high neighborhood prices at mom and pop stores where bread can cost two or three dollars a loaf.
Hill Consensus Group Chairman Carl Redwood says a full-service grocery store has long been the number one priority for Hill District residents, and they're also getting a hundred well-paying union jobs.
Independent grocer Jeff Ross, who will lease the store from the Hill House Economic Development Corporation, operates four other Shop n Save stores in Western Pennsylvania.
Jules Matthews, Executive Director of the Hill House EDC, says, to set a model for responsible development, they will seek a LEEDS Silver rating for the building, which already has over 65% minority- and women-owned company representation.
A grocery store was a provision of the 2009 One Hill Community Benefits Agreement between residents, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sports and Exhibition Authority, Urban Redevelopment Authority, and Allegheny County. There are also other funders.
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