Local nonprofit
Re:Vision is redeveloping a property in Denver's Westwood neighborhood as a food hub and neighborhood grocery store.
With a $1.2 million performance-based loan from the Denver Office of Economic Development, Re:Vision will create a destination at 3738 Morrison Road that will include a co-op grocery store combined with a small cafe, a commissary kitchen and a food aggregation and processing facility, says Eric Kornacki, executive director of the organization. The development also will feature an open-air mercado that will have dozens of local vendors and create a pop-up market on weekends.
"We also aim to build a 10,000-square-foot greenhouse on site to provide year-round produce in addition to the thousands of pounds of food that we produce in the community," Kornacki says. "Our model is unique in that the local community owns it at the end of the day."
The Westwood neighborhood is largely considered a food desert -- an area where residents can't access or afford healthy food. There are no easily accessible grocery stores for the more than 6,000 households in the area, and residents suffer from some of the highest obesity rates and diet-related diseases in the metro area.
"We are pleased to support Re:Vision in their efforts to provide expanded healthy food access and greater economic development opportunities for Westwood and southwest Denver," says Paul Washington, executive director of the city's economic development office. "Along with the city's other investments along Morrison Road and in the neighborhood, this project will improve the quality of life for Westwood residents."
Other recent investments in the neighborhood include parks and open space, youth, affordable housing and commercial development.
Founded in 2007, Re:Vision works with people in marginalized communities to develop leaders, cultivate community food systems and grow resilient, local economies.
Contact Confluence Denver Development News Editor Margaret Jackson with tips and leads for future stories at margaret@confluence-denver.com.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.