Vancouver, Washington's downtown sector is an area seeing drastic growth even in the last calendar year. With the current development of the $1.5 billion Vancouver Waterfront Project (including yet-to-open luxury condominiums and apartments and upscale restaurants steadily attracting affluent customers from the greater area), new high-end apartment buildings being developed across the area and attracting young professionals and families, and the numerous existing neighborhoods surrounding the area, it is shocking that the immediate area boasts no quality grocery store.

The only grocer in the Downtown area provides very few quality, fresh food options and as such, is not shopped by many.

For years, residents of the Downtown area have been asking for a quality grocer, and have seen numerous promises from the City fall through. We are hearing that its believed that the community could not support a grocery store, and residents strongly disagree. We currently do not have immediate access to a healthy, affordable grocer and are eager to see this change. There are speciality grocers within a 10-mile radius, but they are either small with a limited selection, or their prices exceed those of Whole Foods and are cost prohibitive to many.

Many residents of the greater Downtown Vancouver, WA area seeking healthier and higher quality food options have traveled to the East side of town (~20 minutes by car) to shop at the Whole Foods location on SE 160th Ave. However, on June 22nd, The Columbian reported that the location would not be renewing its lease and would be closing its doors as soon as August 2019. Presently, there are no other locations other than in Portland, OR.

Whole Foods has expressed interest in re-locating within the greater Vancouver area should the opportunity present itself, and numerous Downtown residents support this. Vancouver's City Council continues to suggest that the Downtown area would not support a grocer, but the residents disagree. Not only would a Downtown Vancouver Whole Foods location supply critical access to fresh, healthy food to neighborhoods in the area, it would provide jobs and bring overall value to the booming area. Residents of the broader Hazel Dell and even Salmon Creek communities would surely travel the short distance to this downtown location as well.

Downtown Vancouver was promised a quality grocer with the proposed Block 10 development, which we never saw come to fruition. We want to see Whole Foods re-locate its East side store to our neighborhood!