Former Haltom City Mayoral Candidate Cindy Sturgeon Continues to Work on Initiative to Help Bring Grocery Store to the City

    HALTOM CITY, TX, July 03, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Even though her campaign for mayor was not successful, Cindy Sturgeon continues to keep her promise to work on bringing a grocery store to Haltom City to replace the closed Kroger and to complete her plans to serve the city in some capacity.

Sturgeon recently shared an update on Facebook. Her post notes that she recently had a positive meeting with the Independent Grocers Alliance, IGA, who expressed interest in coming to Haltom City, and she is excited to present the information and IGA contact to City Manager Rex Phelps.

As part of her effort, Cindy Sturgeon is trying to understand the criteria that all grocery stores use to select new locations and the grocers' decision-making processes.

HUBA most assuredly agrees with Sturgeon's point from her post that revitalizing the beleaguered corridors in South and Central Haltom City is a necessary first step in the long-term effort to lure a grocery store back to the city.

In her post, she wrote, "I want to emphasize that I believe, based on my research, we must continue to work on Haltom City's main corridors. And I know our city has been improving in many ways, especially on the North side, but the hard truth remains that when you drive the corridors of South and Central Haltom City right now, they have a lot of empty store fronts."

Sturgeon continued, "Small businesses are the only suitable fit for most of these empty spaces and it's going to take a lot of work on our codes and ordinances to make Haltom City the place for small businesses to start up and to begin to fill those vacancies, one at a time."

HUBA has repeatedly noted the ongoing decline in these corridors and urged leaders to respond proactively. Although the city did enact a Tax Incremental Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) for the main corridors, it's a 30-year plan that isn't likely to have any material funds to disperse for at least 3-5 years. Additionally, said funds can only be spent on public improvements, which almost certainly won't help get the older businesses occupied. And no one thinks that 30 years is an allowable time frame for the improvements needed.

Alternatively, aggressive implementation of just some of the proposals submitted by the business community would cost the city no money and could bring immediate results following implementation.

"We applaud Cindy Sturgeon's effort and her focus on bringing back small businesses one at a time in the corridors like Denton Highway, which has a 29 percent vacancy rate South of Loop 820," said HUBA Communications Director Joe Palmer. HUBA has long advocated for the reforms needed to make Haltom City more attractive to small businesses than nearby cities are, according to Palmer.

"The city could revise the table of uses so that conditional use permits and public hearings are required for fewer kinds of small businesses," said Palmer. "The city could create overlay districts for the corridors and get rid of parking minimums to spur small business start ups since parking minimums are a real obstacle to getting the older buildings is South and Central Haltom occupied again," added Palmer. Cities and states across America are eliminating parking minimums to spur growth with great success. Over the last two years, HUBA has made these proposals to the city, but they have not been acted upon by Haltom City Council.

To educate and mobilize citizens about the need for change, one local business owner started the "Make Haltom City Thrive Again" movement last year. According to founder Ron Sturgeon, (not related to Cindy Sturgeon) anyone who lives or works in Haltom City and is hoping for a brighter future for themselves, their children, and their community should consider getting involved. "Let's work together to make the city thrive again by bringing back prosperity, products, services and jobs. Let's find leadership that's pro-business to bring back all the businesses that have left! Please contact me at [email protected] and let's get to work."

About IGA
The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) was founded in 1926 to bring family owned, local grocery stores together under the IGA brand. Nearly a century later, the support of a nationally known brand is still giving IGA grocers the ability to better compete, while at the same time, allowing them to stay true to who they are—hometown store owners in a position to meet the needs of their unique communities. Learn more at IGA.com.

About Haltom United Business Alliance
Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) is a group of business owners dedicated to representing existing business interests in Haltom City and promoting the growth of diverse businesses as well. Innovative strategies are needed to create a strong tax base and enhance quality of life for residents, city employees, and business owners. All Haltom City business owners are eligible to join HUBA. For more information, contact Joe Palmer at (682) 310-0591 or by email at [email protected] or visit the group's Facebook page at Haltom United Business Alliance.

About Make Haltom City Thrive Again
The Make Haltom City Thrive Again website offers information and resources about its purpose and goals. Its founder Ron Sturgeon is not related to Cindy Sturgeon. For more on Ron Sturgeon's personal ideas and background, check out his book Keeping the Lights on Downtown in America's Small Cities and watch the videos on his Facebook page. Ron is also the founder of the Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) which represents existing business interests in Haltom City and promotes growth of diverse businesses as well. HUBA is not a political action committee and does not endorse candidates. If/when Ron endorses candidates, he will do so on his own or with the Make Haltom City Thrive Again organization.

About Haltom City
Haltom City is a diverse, majority working-class city located between Dallas and Fort Worth in Tarrant County, TX. Haltom City is minutes from both the DFW Airport and Downtown Fort Worth with direct access to major highways including I-820 and SH-121. Due to an outdated and restrictive use matrix that discourages new business and deters growth, several areas of Haltom City have seen a decline in small businesses which provided goods and services and were a significant source of jobs, including the once-thriving automotive industry. However, Haltom City has the opportunity to reverse this trend and should prioritize development of inner-city land and vacant buildings, particularly in the major corridors close to the city's center. The city is financially healthy with a capable manager and staff who would like to see diverse business development occur and need the support of the City Council to make it happen.

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