City Councilors discussed a proposed moratorium on grocery stores in Tulsa’s “food deserts” Wednesday, opting to look for other ways to bring healthier food choices to areas of need.
The problem, as discussed Wednesday, is that full-service grocery stores may be getting stifled out of the market in food deserts due to the prevalence of grocery or convenience stores that offer only basic food items without fresh produce.
“We were having these discussions in our districts where there are food deserts,” Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper said. “So we wanted to address the issue from a city council and planning position.”
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Dawn Warrick, city planning director, said an approach that includes a moratorium would be a difficult way for councilors to target the issue.
“We’re dealing with property rights issues, and it can get very litigious,” Warrick said.
But a moratorium could be one tool included in a number of approaches to reach the same outcome — better food options for residents, she said.
Warrick offered to research minimum-distance requirements that are used to limit how many of a certain type of development can be built in a certain area.
Tulsa, for instance, has regulations on liquor stores and how close one may be to another.
Warrick told councilors she would look for other options, as well.
Of interest to Warrick is how full-service grocery stores evaluate market conditions and if researching that specifically could open a path to providing incentive for more full-service developments in certain areas.
