WASHINGTON — Lidl grocery store broke ground in the Skyland Town Center in Southeast D.C. Saturday. It is scheduled to open later in the year.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Councilman Vincent Gray and other city leaders spoke about what this additional grocery store means—not only to the city— but for people who’ve lived years with limited shopping options.
"We have just about gotten every retailer that we want in Washington, D.C., we just don't have them everywhere that we want," Bowser said.
Lidl's addition is part of the District's multiyear Skyland project, which aims to bring more development, jobs and retail stores to residents in District 7.
Washington Post reported in June that five D.C. mayors have been a part of negotiations for the Skyland Town Center development, which is located near Alabama Avenue and Good Hope and Naylor roads.
Bowser said the Lidl will be the first internationally recognized supermarket in Ward 7 or 8 in more than a decade.
WUSA9 spoke to Tracey Ham, who lives in the newly developed Skyland Town Center.
"It means a lot because when I was growing up, you know back in the 70s, 80s, we had grocery stores that we could walk to," she said.
Ham said the wait for the project over the years has been frustrating, but this project brings her hope.
"I know it's a lot of red tape, a lot of back and forth, a lot of meetings, and yes it is very frustrating. But, you know it's here now so, that's excellent," she said.
Her sentiments were echoed by her neighbor, Carlene Carter, who also spoke to WUSA9.
"Well, I'm feeling pretty good, but I would like to feel better if you just not only give us a grocery store, but really give us a community that is clean along with the grocery stores. We do need them, but we also need to do more work," Carter said.
With the opening of Lidl in late 2022, 45 jobs with wages starting at $16.50 per hour will be added. Lidl’s benefits include healthcare for all positions and 401K with a company match. Bowser said more is coming for neighbors in this community.
"The New Food Access Grant still has more than $50 million in it and we're going to use that money to attract more grocers, to bring more good food options like Half Smoke and The Roaming Rooster, who are signed up to be right here at Skyland," Bowser said.
Ham believes this is the progress her community needs to see and hopes it gets younger people more engaged.
"It's important to get these young people working in the community because when you work in your community, you live in your community, you want to take care of your community," Ham said.
This development project, spanning multiple years and phases, began construction in 2018 and is projected to be completed in 2026.