A special committee of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council recently met with local Whole Foods representatives to discuss the opening of the new store. Here is the statement the Neighborhood Council team presented at that meeting:
As Whole Foods prepares to open its doors in Jamaica Plain, many are celebrating the opportunity to shop closer to home and enjoy the addition of Whole Foods’ natural and organic foods. Many are also pleased that as a large multinational corporation, Whole Foods holds a core value of “community citizenship,” and that it recognizes its “responsibility to be active participants in our local communities.” Whole Foods’ dedication to philanthropic giving is admirable and can provide a much needed life preserver in a time of economic hardship, where city and state budgets are stretched thin.
The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council held two community forums and created an ad-hoc committee that worked over a period of two months to write an extensive report analyzing the effect of having Whole Foods in the neighborhood. Through this process we learned that, in addition to its positive impacts, Whole Foods potentially has impacts that will pose significant challenges to many Jamaica Plain residents. We have considered the recommendations of the ad hoc committee, sought input and feedback from numerous community organizations, and created the below in seeking to partner with Whole Foods, helping it mitigate its negative impacts and effectively implement its value for community citizenship.
Part I: Whole Food will help create a fund to be used by credible local community-based organizations for work in the following areas:
1. Anti-displacement work -which could include foreclosure prevention, tenants’ rights counseling, and the creation and preservation of affordable housing
2. Assisting locally-owned businesses in the Hyde Square area
3. Youth training and development including financial literacy and education around healthy cooking and nutrition across cultural contexts
4. Food assistance that targets low income families and elderly residents
5. Workforce development/small business training programs that target low and moderate income residents, particularly youth
Part II: Whole foods will address the following issues:
I. Youth
A. Provide a salad bar to the Curley School (as planned) and expand this program to other Jamaica Plain public schools, prioritizing public schools in the Hyde Square area.
B. Provide employment opportunities, including training if necessary, for local youths, especially youths of color from low- and moderate-income families.
II. Local and Livable Employment
A. Commit to hiring, across all staffing levels, 75% JP residents at this location over the first five years the store is in operation, prioritizing bilingual and Hyde Jackson residents.
B. Commit to hiring all former Hi-Lo workers who are interested in working at any Whole Foods location at positions equivalent to or higher than their former positions at Hi-Lo. Provide appropriate training to help workers advance to higher-paying positions over time.
C. Partner with local organizations to co-facilitate recruitment and hiring as well as post-hiring support as needed to promote job retention and advancement.
D. Offer a living wage, as defined by the City of Boston.
III. Small Businesses
A. Share parking with neighboring business tenants after hours.
B. Prioritize purchasing products made by small food manufacturers and other businesses in Jamaica Plain and surrounding neighborhoods
IV. Traffic and Parking
A. Provide the Traffic Study requested by the City of Boston, which should included the following:
1. Traffic Flow
2. Peak hour traffic management
3. Parking Impact on surrounding community
4. Environmental Impact/Air Quality
5. Deliveries
B. Commit to addressing any issues brought up by the Traffic Study prior to opening.
C. Commit to a professionally-facilitated community meeting to discuss traffic and parking 12 months after opening.
D. Develop programs and incentives to encourage use of alternative means of transportation and delivery, including providing bicycle parking, serving as a Hubway kiosk, and offering grocery delivery by bike.
Part III: Jamaica Plain store management will work with the community to plan two meetings twice yearly to seek input from residents of Hyde Square. One of these meetings will be conducted in English and one will be conducted in Spanish.
I believe the link under II.D. for Offer a living wage, as defined by the City of Boston, is incorrect as this is a link to Whole Foods Market’s core values, not anything defined by the City of Boston.
THIS IS A JOKE ALREADY…IT’S A GROCERY STORE!!
These requests/demands are absurd ! Who are you people and who voted you into your seats of non power ??? If I were Whole Foods, I would tell you all to take a hike . I live 2 blocks from the store and I , like 98% of JP residents WELCOME them into OUR neighborhood ! You DO NOT speak for JP ! Get off your high horses .
Was just on website looking at candidates’ resumes. Not one mentioned their stand on Whole Foods, surely a hot button issue locally.
I pulled up the recommendations of the Ad Hoc committee. My question: have the same requirements been given to Dunkin Donuts, Inc., Stop and Shop, our local banking corporations ? If not, then it is absurd for Whole Foods, a company known nationally for its neighborhood charitable outreach, to be held to such a standard.
When I moved to JP,and over the years since, I attempted to do at least some of my grocery shopping at the prior facility, but found it to be dirty, with many products past their expiration dates. I complained to the management as I felt badly for those for whom there was no choice in markets, but in vain. So I did not continue.
I think that this agreement is fantastic. The work that you are doing may be unappreciated now, but it is extremely valuable. I hope you keep up the good work.
All the best,
-Brian
JPNC, you don’t represent me or any of the neighbors I know in the Hyde Square area. Everyone I know welcomes Whole Foods to Jamaica Plain. I just saw the photos of your protest outside the store November 4. Please stop embarrassing yourselves and please stop representing your own self interests and insisting that JP backs you. We do not.
I am a JP resident of 11 years and a homeowner in the area, yet The JPNC’s inexplicable insistence that a grocery store is ruining our neighborhood has made me question anything else your organization would lobby for. As Ellen states above, JPNC has not pressured any other store in the area to do anything like this, from large companies like CVS to small ones like City Feed.
My neighbors and I are tired of your protest against a legitimate employer and business in the area. Do you all really have nothing more important to do to make JP a better place to live? Hassling a grocery store is your top priority? If so, that is a sad statement about what your organization stands for.