LITTLE ROCK, Ark — Little Rock city leaders are stepping back from a plan to temporarily halt the building of any new dollar stores within city limits. The move came as a way to help combat food deserts, but just a week after the decision, they've now overturned it.
Directors decided that instead of halting new dollar stores, they're going to find more solutions to fighting food deserts.
"We felt that it was probably better to roll back that moratorium and actually get a study and then also try to see if we can work with Dollar General," said Vice Mayor Lance Hines.
Originally, city director Kathy Webb said studies show grocery stores tend to close when dollar stores pop up in urban areas -- sometimes, leaving people without access to healthy food options.
"They launched a new market concept in July and part of the reason they're building their new distribution center in North Little Rock is to be able to supply this new market concept within the region," said Hines.
The Dollar General concept includes offering grocery for their stores.
When it comes to Little Rock, Director Webb identified the area between 12th Street and Woodrow as a food desert.
12th Street falls on the lines of ward one, which is Director Virgil Miller's district.
"I think it was a wise thing to do. Let's put a pause on this and let's get the information, because we want everything we do to be data driven," said Miller.
He said the moratorium change still comes with the concern for food deserts and wants policies to help fix the problem.
"I don't think that it is reasonable to say that a store located in an area is the reason why that area is a food desert," said Miller.
There's only two major grocery stores in ward one, which serves more than 20,000 people; a percentage of which are low income.
"They really can't afford to buy produce. All of the groceries have increased in prices so they're struggling more," said Gayle Priddy, the executive director of The Helping Hands of Little Rock, a food pantry.
They're constantly taking donations and gathering different food options from the Arkansas Food Bank and local restaurants to give out to community members in need.
"So besides sacks of groceries, we also give fresh produce, meats, a dessert -- milk, when we have it," said Priddy.
She said hundreds of people come every week on the days that they serve, and said it's more than just giving them canned or boxed food, which is why city leaders say fixing food deserts will take a bigger approach.
"Still trying to figure out how we alleviate the food desert issue," said Hines.