City Celebrates Start of Construction on Griffin Heights Grocery Store

Healthy Food Options Coming Soon!

August 29, 2025

The City of Tallahassee will host a groundbreaking ceremony for a neighborhood grocery store on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 10 a.m., at the corner of Alabama and Harlem streets in the heart of Griffin Heights.

This much-anticipated construction project will deliver a 2,500-square-foot building designed to house a grocery vendor that will provide fresh and healthy food options.

The grocery store was identified as a top-priority project through the City’s Neighborhood First planning process with Griffin Heights residents. The plan was adopted by the City Commission in 2021, and subsequently, the Mayor and City Commissioners advanced the project, supporting the purchase of the property followed by an approval of approximately $1.3 million to fund construction.

“Bringing a grocery store to Griffin Heights has been a priority for the neighborhood, and it’s taken a tremendous collective planning effort to reach this point," Mayor John Dailey said. "Residents clearly voiced what they needed, and I’m both proud and excited to see their vision come to life as construction begins.”

The City undertook an extensive and proactive effort to engage neighborhood residents, ensure their voices were heard and garner input that Architects Lewis+Whitlock (ALW) used to design the store and develop building plans. The final design includes architectural elements that complement the neighborhood and an outdoor covered pavilion for community engagement activities. Tip Top Construction will build the structure, which is anticipated to be complete in 2026.

For more information about the project, visit Talgov.com.