City planning staff on Feb. 20 briefed the Richmond Planning Commission on preliminary market analysis and outreach to economic development aimed at improving grocery‑store access in neighborhoods with limited food retail.

Planning staff told commissioners the city asked site‑selector consultants and economic‑development partners what market thresholds typically support a full‑service grocery store. Staff reported benchmarks of roughly 7,000 people per square mile within a ten‑minute drive, a median household income of about $55,000, and arterial traffic counts near 20,000 vehicles per day — figures the consultant cited as common prerequisites for chain grocers.

Staff said sample locations inside the city — including Oak Grove/Hillside and Carytown/Forest Hill trade areas — fall below one or more of those thresholds; for example, Oak Grove’s 10‑minute drive area had about 3,700 people per square mile and a median household income near $38,000, while some existing grocer trade areas showed higher incomes but lower densities.

“The data we found suggests that it is possible to support a grocery store even when not all the benchmarks are met,” Planning Director (presenting as planning staff) told the commission, urging policymakers to treat the analysis as an input for targeted retention and recruitment rather than a definitive site screen.

Commissioners asked staff to follow up with the city’s economic‑development partners and to include the topic in upcoming master‑plan updates and neighborhood roundtables. Commissioner Nikia Knight had previously requested a focused briefing on grocery standards and asked staff to arrange engagement with site selectors; the director said staff and economic development would provide additional guidance and consider potential council recommendations.

Planning staff also noted open houses and draft zoning maps tied to the city’s code‑refresh process. They invited commissioners to three upcoming community open houses and a panel discussion on housing scheduled for March.

Staff said they would circulate the underlying datasets and drive‑time analyses to commissioners and to neighborhood representatives so partners can consider targeted incentives, public‑investment approaches or zoning changes to encourage grocery recruitment or retention in neighborhoods that lack stores.

No formal action was taken; commissioners asked for a written memo from economic development outlining possible next steps.