New grocery store planned for Kishwaukee Street in south Rockford

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A new grocery store is slated to fill the former Dollar General near the corner of Kishwaukee Street and Broadway on the city’s south side.

Property owner Rolando Garcia Mendez plans to open Rancho Supermarket at 1405 Kishwaukee St., which is just north of the McDonald’s. The goal is for work to begin by spring 2025, according to City Administrator Todd Cagnoni.

The 74-year-old building is being renovated for a grocery store with the help of a state grant program intended to provide incentive for developers to open grocery stores in food deserts.

The city said in April that it would try to work with potential grocers to tap into those funds, and the plans for Rancho Supermarket are the culmination of those efforts, Cagnoni said.

City Hall worked with Mendez, who has family members with experience in the grocery business, to apply for the funding to transform the building.

“Securing grocery stores in our food deserts has been and remains a priority for the city of Rockford,” Cagnoni said. “We were a strong advocate for them. We helped them put the data together and demonstrate the need.”

Rancho Supermarket will receive $2.1 million to help cover the cost of a full renovation of the 18,735-square-foot building and establishment of a new store.

State Sen. Steve Stadelman and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced the grant funding in a news release on Friday.

“By supporting and expanding our local grocery stores, we’re creating jobs and ensuring no one has to travel outside of their community for basic necessities,” Stadelman said in the news release. “The Illinois Grocery Initiative is a vital step toward eliminating food deserts in our state.”

Rancho Supermarket is one of two grocers in the region to receive state funding.

Fiesta Market, 400 W. Chrysler Drive in Belvidere, will receive $160,000 for new energy-efficient refrigerated produce cases.

Cagnoni said there were multiple applicants seeking to tap into the state funding to address food deserts. There will be another opportunity for potential Rockford grocers to win grants.

Applications for a second round of funding, with grants ranging between $150,000 and $2.4 million, is open until Dec. 2 through the state’s New Stores in Food Deserts Program.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas