Milwaukee aldermen allocate $1.8 million for grocery store and pharmacy retention

Government & Politics Milwaukee aldermen allocate $1.8 million for grocery store and pharmacy retention By Sonia Spitz Nov 9, 2026 1:21 pm Share Email Facebook X Linkedin Copy URL Credit: Kenny Yoo Subscribe to BizTimes Daily – Local news about the people, companies and issues that impact business in Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin. Learn more about: DiAndre Jackson Following the recent closure of several grocery stores and pharmacies in the Milwaukee area, the city’s Common Council announced Friday that it has approved a 2027 budget amendment to fund grocery and pharmacy retention in the city. The amendment added a separate funding account with $1.8 million slated for use in 2027. That’s in addition to the Council’s 2026 legislation, introduced in April, which included $2.8 million in funding to support the city’s grocery and pharmacy retention efforts. Amendment author Alderman DiAndre Jackson said that the Council intends to offset the funding for this amendment with an increase to the withdrawal from the Tax Stabilization Fund, which will require another resolution to be adopted by the Common Council. This would make the amendment budget neutral with no impact on property taxes, according to a press release from Jackson. - Advertisement - “Access to full-service grocery stores and pharmacies is essential to public health, food security, medication access, and overall quality of life for Milwaukee residents,” Jackson said. “This (amendment) will give the city an additional tool to support grocery stores and pharmacies that many residents depend on.” Since June 2025, eight grocery stores located between the north side of Milwaukee and Oak Creek, each within a roughly 15-mile radius, have closed. Several were concentrated within a three-mile radius on the city’s far northwest side. Among them, five were Kroger-operated Pick ‘n Save stores, two were Aldi stores, and one a locally owned Sentry Food store. The former Sentry Foods store, located at 6350 W. Silver Spring Drive on Milwaukee’s northwest side, closed in early 2026. Owner Viral Patel planned to reopen that store in late April – to be named One City Foods – but its Google listing said it remains closed as of Nov. 9. Patel could not be reached for comment. - Advertisement - Beyond the Sentry location, the former Aldi store at 5301 N. Hopkins St. is the only of the lot to see plans for redevelopment since its closure. In July, Milwaukee business owner Gurdev Singh applied for a permit to open a new grocery store in that location. At the time, he said the store would be called Hopkins Grocery and would include a retail sales floor, checkout areas, grocery displays, coolers and freezers and on-site parking and loading areas. Its online listing also said it remains closed. Sponsored Content The Secret Ingredient Helping Milwaukee Businesses... Could Your Employees Be the Next... How The Technical College’s Role Is... 100 Years Of Serving Wisconsin. Building... A practical starting point to explore... BizPeople John Huggett Christine Brumfield Dylan Glindinning