BALTIMORE COUNTY — With the cold we’re having imagine having to go out and get groceries, yet you don’t have transportation and there are no grocery stores nearby.
It’s a real problem for people who live in the Liberty Road corridor.
Plans are in the works to fix that, but for many people it’s taking too long.
RELATED: Liberty Road Task Force releases recommendations on improving neighborhood
Many call the area a food desert, because living near Liberty Road in Baltimore County, means traveling many miles just to get to a grocery store.
"Half hour and luckily I have a vehicle and can drive, but for those who don't those are the ones that are really suffering,” said President of Liberty Road Community Council Shirley Supik.
She says this has been an ongoing issue for years, especially for the elderly and those without cars. Making those who live in the area resort to a different option to get groceries.
"I had one lady down at the Milford Mill area, she used to, when Giant was there, she would go to the grocery store four days a week because that's all she could carry. Now she does her shopping at the dollar store,” said Supik.
Over the last 10 years, five grocery stores have left the area---the last one closing in August of 2018.
With years of no hope, there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel. Back in November, Grocery Outlet Bargain Market announced it will open up a store on Milford Mill Road at Liberty Road, where the former Giant was once located.
RELATED: Baltimore County provides $2M to bring new supermarket to Milford Mill
A big concern though is that it won't open until 2024.
"Because the store is going to be renovated it's going to take some time. The store is 74-years-old and so it's going to take time for the construction to happen and the grocery outlet will come," said Ryan Coleman, the NAACP President Randallstown.
But Supik says she feels other priorities have been placed at the top of the list.
Supik said, "Justin Rosemore he was the gentleman that bought the property for $10 million and the people kept saying all we want is a grocery store, that's all we want is a grocery store. And he kept saying, but I want a gas station.”
Wrapping up last year, Baltimore County provided $2 million toward the project to open the new grocery store at Milford Mill Shopping Center.
Construction has not kicked off yet and neighbors hope the bare parking lot doesn't continue to match the bare sign out front for more years to come.
Supik says she is working to get a second grocery store in the area that will take less time to open up, but does not want to release the name of the store at this time.
