Sprouts Farmers Market to Open in North Oak Cliff

After almost two years of work, plans for an Oak Cliff Sprouts Farmers Market have been approved for the corner of Fort Worth Avenue and Hampton Road. This come after initial rejections by the City Plan Commission over zoning issues.

This Sprouts building will take the place of Elrod’s Cost Plus Supermarket and a Crown Buffet, both of which will be demolished.

In order to build, Sprouts and North Oak Cliff District 1 City Councilman Chad West, who advocated for this location, worked with neighborhood leaders to come up with concessions needed to get final approval from the City Council.

According to the results of a community stakeholder survey shared with the Observer, 59% of residents and community members rated themselves as very dissatisfied with the grocery store options in North Oak Cliff, and another 24% as somewhat dissatisfied.

One of the sticking points related to the initial denial was a zoning overlay that called for parking lots to be located at the back of store sites. That would not have worked for Sprouts because of the grading and elevation of the land.

Concessions that allowed for the March 8 green light by the council included shopping carts equipped with antitheft wheel lock technology to prevent them from being taken off the property. Additionally, there will be a 3,500-square-foot contiguous open green space along Fort Worth Avenue.
Further, if a drive-through restaurant goes into the additional space on the lot, it cannot have a drive-through loudspeaker within 150 feet of the property line along Hampton Road and must also be oriented away from residential lots. Finally, exterior lighting must be facing away from nearby residential properties.

West says that with current grocery options, this area of Oak Cliff does not fall into the category of a food desert, but this new store will help fill the gap for organic, farm-to-table options. West says the community wanted the land to be kept out of developers’ hands to prevent another drive-through, fast-food-type restaurant.

To get final approval last week, the council required a supermajority vote, meaning extra legwork for West.

“I don't love those because at times I have to call in favors with my colleagues,” he said. “I have to be very sensitive to political winds and things up there at city council because I want to make sure everyone's happy and that everyone's brought along. It requires a lot more work on my part, to get a case through, which I don't mind doing. It's just nerve-racking.”