ATLANTA — Atlanta City Council is considering authorizing a $1.5 million grant to improve access to quality food just days after a crane caused an Atlanta Publix parking deck to collapse partially, shutting down the store to residents in the area who waited years for it.
The grant is through Invest Atlanta, with money also going toward helping create jobs and community development in areas needing access to groceries and fresh food.
With the Summerhill Publix now closed indefinitely, there's a lack of access to fresh food and groceries in the area.
"Imagine if I didn't have a car and I had to take public transportation," resident Kenisha Cantrell said. "I even looked at it one time; it would take me 30 minutes to an hour just to get to a fresh food source."
But the concern extends to the city as a whole, as the store opened just months ago in the Summerhill neighborhood to address that lack of accessible fresh food options.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens even said in a statement that his administration is worried about the impact the closing would have on the community's safety and access to food and pharmacy services.
The incident that closed Publix happened on Saturday. Firefighters said a crane was driven up the second floor of the parking garage when it fell, rupturing a water line and causing a diesel leak. One person was hurt.
There is no exact timeline for a full resolution right now, but the companies involved are considering a partial re-opening of the store and parking garage.
Branch Properties, who owns the shopping center where Publix is located, said they believe "an unauthorized person unaffiliated with ownership" drove a crane on the top level of the parking lot, ignoring weight limit warning signs.
They added that the Branch is working with authorities, and construction will begin soon.