Richmond community celebrates groundbreaking for new grocery store

On Saturday, in North Richmond, there was a celebration of the return of a local grocery store. For decades, the neighborhood has been without a place to buy healthy food, and now, as ground is broken for a new store, residents say it will become a community focal point.Historically, North Richmond is a place that suffered redlining, and starting in the 1990s, it began losing the local grocery stores that served as anchors to the community. But lately, some good things have been happening. The Heritage Point apartment complex on Fred Jackson Way was built in 2019, offering 42 affordable units. De'Jon Boyd lives there but, being on foot, it's not always easy when he has to buy something to eat. "It's about, like, if you're walking, it's about 20 minutes," he said. "It's a little harder. And it would be a blessing to actually have a grocery store that's next to us."That's a blessing that may soon come true. On Saturday, a nonprofit called the Community Housing Development Corporation,