We, the residents, neighbors, and supporters of Downtown Killeen, call on Mayor Joseph Solomon, District 1 Councilmember Jessica Gonzalez, and the Killeen Economic Development Corporation to aggressively incentivize and secure a commercial grocery partner—such as H-E-B or a Walmart Neighborhood Market—to establish a new location in the downtown Killeen area. 
Since the closure of the North Gray Street H-E-B, Downtown Killeen has transformed into a food desert. Thousands of residents, including families, elderly citizens, disabled citizens, and those with limited or no transportation, have been left without direct access to affordable, fresh fruits, vegetables, and pharmacy staples. 
While legal deed restrictions prevent a grocery store from opening in the old H-E-B building, this does not absolve our local government from addressing the needs of its people. Downtown Killeen is growing, yet our infrastructure is falling behind. Relying on convenience stores, Doordash, Lyft/Uber or traveling miles across the highway is an unjust burden on our community. 
We petition our city leadership to:
Identify and Zone Land: Allocate or acquire a suitable alternative parcel of land within the downtown district specifically for grocery retail.
Provide Economic Incentives: Offer robust tax abatements, waived permit fees, or infrastructure grants to make Downtown Killeen an incredibly attractive investment for H-E-B or Walmart. 
 Downtown Killeen deserves easy, abundant access to healthy food. just as much anyone else.