Dallas City Council approves incentive package to bring Tom Thumb grocery store to RedBird

“This community has expressed its desire to have a quality grocery store that offers fresh foods for so long and attracting a grocery store has been one of our biggest priorities ever since we started to reimagine RedBird,” said Councilmember Tennell Atkins, Chair of the City’s Economic Development Committee. “I’m pleased to say we’re making it happen – we can’t wait to welcome Tom Thumb to the neighborhood.”

The 50,000-square-foot grocery store would sit on five acres at the southeast corner of Camp Wisdom and Westmoreland Roads within The Shops at RedBird redevelopment area. The proposed retail store will be a full-service grocery store with a pharmacy and a variety of fresh departments: produce, deli, bakery, meat-seafood and floral. Customers will also have the option to shop online for delivery or store pickup using the DriveUp & Go™ service.

“Our new Tom Thumb store at RedBird will bring meaningful jobs to southern Dallas, as well as provide convenient access to fresh food and pharmacy services,” said Wes Jackson, Albertsons Companies Southern Division President. “Tom Thumb has been proudly serving the DFW area since 1948, and we know how grocery stores greatly contribute to the health of the local economy. We are honored to be making this investment at RedBird and are grateful for the overwhelming support of Tom Thumb as we embark on building a new store in this community.”

The economic development incentive package would include up to $5.8 million in conditional grants as well as a five-year business personal property (BPP) tax abatement that equals the City’s taxes assessed on 75 percent of the increased value from the grocer’s BPP investment during the first five years of store operation.

“Attracting a quality grocery store to southern Dallas has not been easy so we are so pleased that Tom Thumb is committed to bringing healthy food options and more than 90 permanent jobs to this underserved community,” said Majed Al-Ghafry, Assistant City Manager.

The Tom Thumb is just the latest addition to The Shops of RedBird. The more than $200 million mixed-use development is one of the largest commercial developments in southern Dallas, housing about 450 residents and employing approximately 1,500 people in its new medical facilities, offices, retail shops and restaurants. RedBird Developer Peter Brodsky says the addition of a grocery store has been a priority for him ever since he purchased the property more than seven years ago.

“It has been a long-term goal at RedBird to offer our community a high-quality grocery store with lots of fresh food options. We could not be more thrilled,” said Brodsky. “I especially appreciate Albertsons’ understanding that there is a market in southern Dallas for their upscale Tom Thumb product and the City of Dallas’ willingness to provide the incentives to Albertsons to mitigate any perceived risks.”

“This project meets the priorities outlined the City’s recently approved Economic Development Policy by bringing a needed service to this Target Area, which also happens to be a food desert,” said Robin Bentley, Director of Economic Development. “We are thankful to Tom Thumb for their partnership and look forward to working with them to bring this grocery store to RedBird.”

For more information visit DallasEcoDev.org.