For the past six years, Farmington residents have been forced to cross city lines to buy groceries. An entrepreneur, city officials and transit service are working to change that.

Salaam Global Flavors Grocery recently opened in downtown Farmington, attempting to fill a longtime need for the city of more than 25,000 people.

Located at 115 Elm St., the family-run shop sells produce, pantry staples, global spices, tea and homemade sambusa, said Farris Adam, who is married to store owner Keneni Ababulgu.

Former Farmington residents, Adam said the couple used to “drive miles away to get small stuff.”

Although they now reside in Lakeville, Adam said Ababulgu chose to open the shop in Farmington because, “We understand the need for the community, so we chose to come back and open the grocery store here.”

While it’s not what some consider to be a “traditional” grocery store, Salaam Global Flavors has “stepped into the marketplace to try to fill that need,” said Deanna Kuennen, the city’s community and economic development director.

Farmington residents with vehicles can do their shopping at several big-name grocery stores in nearby Lakeville, Apple Valley or Rosemount. Those without vehicles don’t have nearly the same selection.

If not Salaam Global Flavors, where can residents go in town for grocery items? “Kwik Trip,” Kuennen said.

Farmington has been without a grocery store since 2019 when Family Fresh Market abruptly closed after its parent company, SpartanNash, opted not to renew its lease, KARE-TV reported at the time.

In the years since, the city has worked to bring a new grocer to town, going as far as to commission a Grocery Market Study early last year that confirmed there is a market that could support a grocery store, Kuennen said.

“We did that study to make sure it’s not just anecdotal,” she said, adding that the study is often shared with grocers and brokers in the wholesale market in an effort to bring them to Farmington.

“We’re out working it as hard as anybody else could be working it to try to get a grocery store here,” Kuennen said.

Failed aspirations

Hy-Vee considered opening a grocery store in Farmington for several years at the Vermilion River Crossings area, located near the intersection of Dakota County Road 50 and Denmark Avenue.

The Des Moines, Iowa-based grocer had preliminary plans for a 78,000-square-foot grocery store and 4,100-square-foot convenience store. Hy-Vee first secured approval in 2016, but plans never materialized despite the city’s willingness to work with them.

The city had previously deferred tax assessments on Hy-Vee’s two Vermillion River Crossings properties, but after a lack of movement, the city council approved special tax assessments of $2.05 million against the grocer in 2021.

In 2022, Hy-Vee ultimately scrapped its plans, saying the proposed site did not fit into a new company strategy centered around building larger stores and putting more distance between future locations.

In 2017, Aldi was also given the green light to build a grocery store at Vermillion River Crossings, but it never materialized, either.

Aldi considers itself “a second,” Kuennen said, meaning the grocer will not come into a community as its first grocery store.

“The city has had multiple meetings with Aldi to try to entice them to build their store, but that’s not how their model works,” Kuennen said. “So when Hy-Vee put their land on the market and started to sell off their land, Aldi has also put their land on the market.”

Both Aldi’s and Hy-Vee’s parcels are currently for sale, Kuennen said.

New solution?

A new proposal from the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority could help connect Farmington residents to fresh food — for a price.

Formed in the late 1980s, MVTA operates local, express, suburb-to-suburb and microtransit services for seven south metro cities throughout Dakota and Scott counties.

Still in its early stages, MVTA is hoping to expand its microtransit service, called MVTA Connect, to serve Farmington.

Similar to Uber, MVTA Connect is an on-demand ride-share service that lets customers book trips ahead of time via their smartphones.

MVTA Connect operates from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and currently brings riders across three service zones: the main zone, which includes Apple Valley, Burnsville, Rosemount and Savage; the Eagan zone; and the Shakopee/Prior Lake zone.

The trips, priced at $3 for one-way fare, are designed to connect south metro communities, versus offering in-town rides, said Matt Fyten, chief development officer for MVTA.

To clarify: Riders would only be able to book trips between MVTA Connect’s main zone and their origin/destination in Farmington or Lakeville. The service would not offer Farmington to Farmington rides, Lake-ville to Lakeville rides or trips between Farmington and Lakeville, Fyten said.

For some Farmington residents without a car or reliable transportation, the microtransit expansion could be a game changer.

Microtransit predominantly serves those with higher transit needs, including transit-dependent populations like low-income and elderly individuals, Fyten said.

“As people age, it can limit their mobility in various ways, whether it be hearing or eyesight, it makes it more difficult to drive an automobile,” he said.

Income limitations can also prohibit someone from owning a vehicle, Fyten said, adding that nearly half of MVTA riders are between 35 and 55 years old.

Last month, the city of Farmington penned a letter in support of MVTA’s grant application for the Regional Solicitation to expand its microtransit service. A competitive grant program, the Regional Solicitation happens once every two years and awards about $250 million in federal funds, according to the Metropolitan Council, which distributes the funds.

MVTA’s grant application calls for three years of service totaling roughly $7.64 million, with $800,000 allocated for vehicles, Fyten said. The application requests $5.74 million, with MVTA providing the remaining $1.9 million in local match funds.

If the grant is awarded, MTVA Connect service would expand its boundaries into Farmington and Lake-ville, Fyten said.

“Both the City of Farmington and MVTA have heard from residents about the need for additional transportation options and improved access to destinations throughout the south metro,” stated the letter, signed by Farmington Mayor Nicholas Lien.

“This concept represents a collaborative response to that feedback and an opportunity to explore innovative mobility solutions that expand transportation choice and improve access to jobs, services, businesses, and community destinations.”

With several hurdles yet to clear, the expanded microtransit services could roll out in 2030 if all goes according to plan.