A new neighborhood grocery store called Mi Pueblo Latino Market is being proposed for a vacant building in the Southwest Annex neighborhood. The City of Richmond Planning Commission is scheduled to meet on March 5 to discuss the plan.
The project is led by Adel Mohssen, who owns the property at 1303 Carlson Blvd. The 6,987-square-foot triangle-shaped lot is located at the corner of Carlson Boulevard and Monterey Street. The building on the property is 2,367 square feet and has been empty since about 2021. In the past, the building housed Legacy Hair Studio and Lilly’s New Orleans Café.
Mi Pueblo Latino Market is intended to be a small store focusing on the needs of the local Latino community. It plans to sell fresh fruits and vegetables, pantry items like rice, beans, and tortillas, and fresh meat from a service counter. The store also aims to offer household goods and some prepared foods like fresh salsa. No alcohol will be sold at this location. The market plans to be open every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and have six employees working each shift.
Because the property is in an area zoned for single-family homes, the owner needs a conditional use permit to run a business there. City staff have reviewed the plan and found that it fits with local rules meant to provide residents with healthy food and small business options within walking distance of their homes.
The applicant plans to make changes to the lot to prepare for the new market. Inside the building, one room is slated to be turned into a walk-in freezer to store meat. Outside, a second walk-in freezer is planned as an attachment to the building. The owner also plans to install a new trash enclosure made of concrete blocks with a steel frame and a metal roof. This enclosure will sit on a four-inch-thick concrete pad in the parking area.
To improve the look and privacy of the site, the existing chain-link fence along Monterey Street will be replaced with a six-foot-tall solid wood fence. This fence will also help hide the trash area from the street. For customers, the owner will install a 16-square-foot sign on the wall that says “Mi Pueblo Latino Market.” This sign will not be lit up, which follows city rules for residential areas. The property currently has eight parking spaces, and the plan designates five of these for the store, along with three new bicycle parking stalls.
The city says the owner must keep the area free of litter and graffiti, including cleaning up trash on the public sidewalks within 400 feet of the store at least three times a week. The parking lot and building entrances must stay well-lit during business hours for safety. Additionally, the store is not allowed to create loud noises or other nuisances that would disturb the people living nearby. If the Planning Commission approves the permit, the store must be open and running within two years.