A new grocery store is coming to Woodley Park but not everyone is happy about it

WASHINGTON — There are mixed reactions from people living in the District about a new grocery store that's coming to Woodley Park soon. 

There is no word yet on the name of the grocery store but WUSA9 has been told crews are currently converting a space in the 2600 block of Connecticut Avenue.

“Just a couple of blocks [away], so it’s gonna be really cool to have it super close,” said Beatrice Dlesk, who lives in the area.

Dlesk can’t hide her excitement about the urban small-scale grocery store coming to Woodley Park.

“I am thrilled,” Dlesk said. “We don’t really have a grocery store in this neighborhood. We have some great convenience stores.”

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Ward 3C02 says it’s been a long time coming and the process to finalize these plans started last September.

“It was something that we saw the community wanted during wardman, kind of rebuilding process,” Prinzo explained.

Meanwhile, east of the river frustrations are brewing. People who live in Ward 7 are concerned and frustrated because they’ve been pushing for more grocery stores.

“For it to come for Woodley Park, I’m not sure why they need any more grocery stores,” said Aaron Jones, who lives in Ward 7. “They are very abundant in things they have around there. It should definitely come over here or in an area where it’s needed.”

Right now, many of the people who live in Wards 7 and 8 say it’s a hassle to find what they need on their side of town. Deborah Collins Musa is a senior citizen with arthritis and walks with a cane. 

“I usually have to go to a few places to get everything I need,” Collins Musa said.

“I understand Ward 7 and 8 obviously needs the attention of the city as a whole and I definitely would encourage those people to continue pushing for the services that they need and the resources they need to get those grocery stores,” Prinzo said.

People who live in Wards 7 and 8 are just asking city leaders to think of them more often when decisions like this are made.

“They don’t know what we’re experiencing because they don’t come on this side,” Jones said. “So once they come on this side and see it I’m sure they could make a change.”

The goal is to open this store between late October and early November. The executive director of Woodley Park Main Street says they expect to share more information about this grocery store with the public next week.