BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
- The city of Troy brought up the fact that the city is in negotiations to bring a grocery store to Troy
- As of now, neighbors say the only realistic option for some groceries is the Dollar general on Main Street across Troy High School, but options for fresh produce is limited
- The city had a shot at a Brookshire Brothers in 2019 but the City turned it down.
"We have to go out of our way to drive through all this traffic to get our vegetables and all that we need," Diana Villalobos, a lifelong Troy resident said.
Villalobos may soon not have to travel far for her groceries, as the City of Troy is in negotiations with an unnamed mom-and-pop grocery store from Waco to set up shop in our community.
Our neighbors told me our city had needed it for a long time.
"If we did have a little market where they have meat, milk, and stuff like a Walmart, then I think that will help our community," Villalobos said.
Diana normally drives around 20 to 30 minutes to either Temple or Waco for her weekly groceries, that runs her around $350 a week with gas, food and other essentials.
"And if it was here then I can just go here and not have to worry about feeding my kids," Villalobos said.
While the city chose not to comment on the possibility right now -- a member of the Greater Troy Chamber told 25 News' Marc Monroy it will be more beneficial now that Troy is growing at a faster rate than before.
"It would be a lot more economical for our little community and bring in revenue to our city," Secretary Jessica Rickabaugh with the chamber said.
The city had a chance at a Brookshire Brothers prior to 2019 but it was turned down by city leaders at the time.
It's something the Chamber said it would of helped a lot because according to the U.S. Census, the majority of the city's population is age 65 or older.
"Number one they're older or number two, they don't have a vehicle to get some place," Rickabaugh said.
And the population for Troy is growing and it's going to continue to grow faster and faster.
"We need a lot of things because troy, as I've came to realize, growing very rapidly in the past years and we are going to continue to grow," Villalobos said.
