A project launched in 2016 to bring fresh food access to Flint’s north side has turned into a cautionary tale. The North Flint Food Market, pitched as a community-owned grocery store, has absorbed at least $10 million in grants, loans, and tax credits. Nearly a decade later, the doors remain locked, the shelves empty, and the store has yet to generate a single dollar in revenue.
The Money Trail: $10 Million In, $0 Out
The numbers are striking:
- The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has committed $3.6 million for construction, operations, and startup costs.
- The North Flint Reinvestment Corporation, which oversees the project, has raised over $7 million in loans, tax credits, and financing.
That brings the total to more than $10 million already spent or committed, with nothing to show for it. Flint residents are still traveling outside their neighborhoods for groceries while the much-promised community market sits unopened.
Kansas City’s Costly Lesson
Flint is not the only city to struggle with these kinds of projects.
- In Kansas City, Missouri, the Sun Fresh Market opened in 2018 with heavy city support. By 2025, taxpayers had invested between $18 and $29 million into the store. On August 12, 2025, it closed after years of losses, theft, and declining customer traffic.
- In Kansas City, Kansas, the Merc Co-op opened in 2020 with over $7 million in public funding. It will shut down permanently on December 30, 2025, citing unsustainable finances.
Different models, different sides of the river, the same result: millions spent and stores that could not survive.
And Now, New York?
Despite these examples, Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee, is calling for five city-owned grocery stores, one in each borough. His plan carries an upfront price tag of $60 million, or about $12 million per store.
Mamdani argues that a “public option” for groceries will lower costs and expand access. Flint and Kansas City show how risky that gamble can be.
The Bottom Line
- Flint: 9 years, $10 million spent, still closed.
- Kansas City (MO): $18 to $29 million spent, store now closed.
- Kansas City (KS): $7 million spent, store closing this December.
- New York (proposed): $60 million for five new stores.
Flint has nothing to show for nearly a decade of investment. Kansas City poured in tens of millions and failed twice. Now New York is considering putting up even more.
How many times will taxpayers have to fund these experiments before the lesson is learned?
