Fresno Gives Grocery Stores a Break in Proposed Development Tax. Will it Help Food Deserts?

What appears to be a last-minute change to the city of Fresno’s future tax on development exempts grocery stores from a potential million-dollar assessment.

While the exemption — potentially critical to curing Fresno’s “food deserts” — does not appear in any city documents, city spokesperson Sontaya Rose told GV Wire on Wednesday that grocery stores at or below 50,000 square-feet would now not be hit with the “vehicle miles traveled” tax up for consideration Thursday by Fresno City Council.

Part of the VMT debate includes a discussion on how the potentially million-dollar tax could affect attracting retail stores to areas lacking shopping options close to home.

At the Oct. 16 meeting, when councilmembers got their first public view of the city’s long-awaited plan, Fresno City Councilmem