DETROIT – An announcement Thursday is a sign that Detroit’s revival is branching out from Downtown -- Meijer is planing to open a new location on Detroit’s east side. The new, small-scale grocery store, a part of the Rivertown Market, will fill a major need in the neighborhood. Meijer opened a store at Eight Mile Road and Woodward Avenue in 2013 and the old Redford High School became a Meijer in 2015, but the east side still had a long trip to the grocery store -- until now. I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you!”Usually a Meijer takes up blocks, but not this one. The Rivertown Market is going to be a scaled-down, urban footprint in the greening of Detroit Park on East Jefferson Avenue.

East Jefferson Corridor is getting a new Meijer grocery store as a part of the Rivertown Marker. It’s going to be a Meijer small concept. While Meijer stores are typically sprawling spaces that take up a few blocks, that won’t be the case for the new store on East Jefferson Avenue. Many Detroiters have complained about how difficult it can be to buy groceries in the city. While there’s a Meijer on Eight Mile Road, the city’s east side has been essentially a food desert.