ELYRIA — News 5 Continues to follow through on the impact after Aldi’s decision to relocate its store from Oberlin Road in Carlisle Township to Chestnut Ridge Road in Elyria.
We don’t just report the initial story—we follow through to its conclusion. Read and watch our previous reporting on this story below and see more stories that we've followed through on here.
The changes took place in early February. Shoppers and community members told News 5 that the Carlise Township location was convenient for people living on Elyria’s south side, especially in the 5th Ward.
“It was like the neighborhood store,” said Reginald Hollis, who spoke to News 5 in February. “They’re killing everything over here.”
New 5 Anchor Damon Maloney promised to follow through on the story. Wednesday, he sat down with Elyria 5th Ward Councilman Brad Armstrong. He said Aldi’s closure in Carlisle Township has created hardships.
"It's very upsetting to a lot of people especially the ones that were walking to the store,” Armstrong said. “It's been a challenge."
Armstrong remembers going to the store as a kid.
"I loved that store growing up. We used to play baseball behind there,” Armstrong said.
The council member said that with no full-service grocery store in the 5th Ward, he has heard from residents about the lack of transportation.
A one-way walk, for many, that took about 10 to 15 minutes, would now take more than an hour and a half to get to the new Aldi.
“So, we just figured…let's take the people,” Armstong said.
The City of Elyria, through its parks and recreation department, is launching a pilot shuttle van service for 5th Ward residents to get to the new Aldi.
“Even though it's a pilot we feel that it will strongly help out this community especially my residents over here,” Armstrong said.
The service starts Wednesday, March 13. The current plan has it running Mondays and Wednesdays, departing from the Elyria Public Library System South Branch located at 340 15th Street.
“You can get picked up from here (library). We will take you to the store, we’ll wait on you (and) we'll bring you back here,” Armstrong said.
He said leaders will evaluate the service and will have the ability to make any necessary adjustments.
Qua Miller lives near the closed Aldi. She said the shuttle service is a great start to help residents. But, she believes the area still needs a grocery store.
“That needs to be the long-term goal,” Miller said.
Armstrong said the city is having multiple conversations centered around getting a grocery store to open on the south side or at the site of the closed Aldi in Carlisle Township.
“Hopefully we can find something that's suitable for everybody,” Armstrong said.
The councilman said he’s also pushing Lorain County Transit to expand its service routes and hours to give residents more access to the new Aldi.
