...and what about the Co-op?

There is one thing I forgot to mention in my post about The Chauncey: the New Pi snub.

Having outgrown its outdated store on the corner of Van Buren and Washington Streets, the New Pioneer Co-op is seeking a new downtown location. (The store sits perilously close to a creek — a flash flood, according to the New Pi website, “could wipe us out overnight” — and its location on a floodplain prohibits any worthwhile expansion or reconstruction. The Co-op would also like to “[o]perate a more environmentally-friendly store” and “[p]roactively protect against competition.”) However, there really is no space to relocate downtown. So after an anti-climactic member referendum, the Co-op partnered with a number of the Gilbert/College redevelopment proposals; each project featured space for a relocated New Pi that fit the cooperative’s needs and priorities. Two of the three finalists, I believe, were Co-op-partnered projected. The one that was not — The Chauncey — became the council’s preferred choice.

Burrrrn! Big time — especially when one considers the Co-op’s economic draw, commitment to the downtown area, and prominence in the community. It is the one thing about The Chauncey decision that really irritates me. When the city gets the chance to foster the future of one of its most iconic institutions, it turns its back.

Honestly, and somewhat hypocritically, I am a little relieved the Co-op will not be moving into an ultramodern, characterless building — yet. While I recognize the shortcomings of the current store, I like it. It is intimate (very intimate at times) and conveys the feel of a small, friendly, neighborhood grocery store. The Bread Garden Market is a comparable size, but it is uninspiring and sterile. Though I voted “yes” in the referendum to pursue relocation to Gilbert/College, it was only because I know the Co-op needs to move at some point. The location was close to New Pi’s spiritual home and seemed to be the best, if not only, option. The only parking would have been along College and in the “blue ramp” (the store would have been connected via a new walkway), but I could stomach that since I usually walk to the store. (The parking at the current store is a little wonky, anyway. There is something wrong with the angle or width of the diagonal spots on Van Buren because every car seems to be parked at a bad angle or extremely close to one of the cars next to it.)

So what now for the Co-op? Beats me. Talk has turned to the possibility of a third store, but that seems irresponsible given the elephant in the room: the need for a new downtown store. Where would it go? I have no clue and neither does the Co-op’s board of directors. However, everyone seems to be keeping an eye out for something. Long-term, though, there seems to be potential options: the UI Credit Union site at Iowa/Van Buren, the city parking lot at the same intersection, the awkward US Bank at Washington/Linn, and maybe the parking lot across from Pagliai’s. Those are all long shots at this point.

In the future, I am sure many more derelict homes and older apartment complexes will make way for denser development and an option will pop up. Until then, however, I think the downtown Co-op is stuck between a creek and a hard place. And I will continue to enjoy shopping there.