By Peter Curi and Angeles Ponpa
PEORIA, Ill. (25 News) – A long-planned grocery store, meant to serve Peoria’s south side, may finally be nearing the finish line after four years in development.
Pastor Chuck Brown’s CJ Harvest grocery, first announced in 2021, aims to address a food desert in the area by bringing in fresh groceries and accessible food options to residents.
Brown has secured more than $2 million in funding, including nearly $1.7 million through the Illinois Grocery Initiative, $200,000 from Peoria County’s federal pandemic relief funds, and $245,000 from the Small Business Capital and Infrastructure Grant Program through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
He’s also said he’s putting thousands of dollars of his own money into the project. Despite the funding, the store has yet to open.
Brown told 25 News that the building now contains the necessary equipment, with final construction and inspections still needing to be done before the doors can open.
“This project is really bigger than Chuck Brown. It doesn’t take a few years for the south side to be in the condition that it’s in, and it took us just a few years to get this process accomplished,” Brown said.
“But we feel because of the importance of what this means for the community, it certainly was worth everything it took to get to where we are today,” he continued.
Brown said new work permits have been recently approved by the city. The timeline is now dependent on contractors finishing their work and passing city inspections.
“Everything we need for the store has been purchased. The equipment has been purchased. Everything has already been established. It’s just a matter now of however long it takes our contractors to complete their checklists and for the city to come in and do their traditional inspection. Once they give us the thumbs up, we’ll be open for business,” Brown said.
His team believes the store, near the intersection of S. Western Avenue and W. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, could open within the next two to three months.
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