The Dallas City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a $5.8 million dollar tax incentive for Tom Thumb to build a location in the Redbird neighborhood of Oak Cliff.
The deal allocates a Chapter 380 development grant to Tom Thumb of up to $5,200,000 and a Chapter 380 sales tax grant of up to $600,000 over ten years.
The incentive deal also includes a personal property tax abatement for five years.
The plan is expected to create 90 full-time jobs in a 50,000-square-foot facility built by Albertsons Companies, Inc., the parent company of Tom Thumb.
City Council members praised the plan as a responsible investment in future revenues and in resolving southern Dallas’ limited availability of grocery stores.
District 8 Council Member Tennell Atkins led the charge to approve the project, saying that he has worked on the project for years.
“This grocery store is something we’ve been fighting for the last three years.”
Atkins told the council that the plan has been a top priority for his constituents.
“Residents were asking and pleading for a grocery store,” the council member claimed. “There are food deserts throughout the city of Dallas.”
He continued, hailing Tom Thumb’s historic ties and founding in Dallas.
“75 years they’ve been in the City of Dallas. They’ve got a great name. …They’ve got a pharmacy, bakery, deli. They’ve got everything you need.”
District 7 Council Member Adam Bazaldua also weighed in to support the measure, highlighting alleged food insecurity:
“We’re putting our money where our mouth is. This is the type of corporate incentive that helps address food insecurity.”
“I hope we can build on this and work with Tom Thumb in other parts of Dallas,” Bazaldua added.
District 12 Council Member Cara Mendelsohn expressed mild concern with the cost of the incentive.
“When I saw the number I said, ‘That’s a lot of money!’”
Pressing City Economic Development Director Robin Bentley, Mendelsohn noted that the incentive’s price tag had nearly doubled from $3 million to $5.8 million since its introduction.
Council Member Atkins pushed back on cost concerns, highlighting what he claimed was historically low investment in South Dallas and calling on the council to act in the interest of the whole city.
