Overview
Fitzroy North's beloved Piedimonte's has long been the poster child for Melbourne's independent grocers — and that's exactly how many locals want it to stay. As reported by The Age, Yarra City Council has rejected selling a rear bluestone laneway to the store's owners, a move that stalls a previously approved redevelopment and, unexpectedly, puts independent ownership at risk.
The family's multi-storey plan — green-lit by VCAT four years ago — relied on buying a 75-square-metre slice of laneway from council (and giving back 122 square metres elsewhere). While plenty of residents opposed the redevelopment on principle, the upside for many was that Piedimonte's would remain locally owned. With the laneway sale now knocked back, co-owner Sam Piedimonte told The Age the family will weigh "a big decision," including the possibility of selling to a major supermarket chain.
Image credit: Piedimontes Facebook
Yarra City Council received more than 400 submissions on the sale, with the vast majority against, The Age reported. Community group Protect Fitzroy North argued against handing public land to a private project and raised traffic concerns. An independent traffic review commissioned by the council found the laneway's vehicle use was "low" — six to 16 cars a day at the northern end — and said any redistribution would be "negligible," while noting the new build would move truck loading on-site.
On the night, councillor Kenneth Gomez led the successful motion to refuse the sale, citing the lane's active public use and heritage value. Independent Mayor Stephen Jolly and councillors Gomez, Andrew Davies, Meca Ho, Angeline Aston and Sharon Harrison voted it down; Greens councillor Sophie Wade dissented, telling The Age she was representing the roughly 10 percent of submitters who supported the sale and arguing the public land would be "redirected," not lost.
Image credit: Piedimontes Facebook
For now, the redevelopment is on ice and the future is unclear. Many residents who pushed back on the build did so to keep an iconic, family-run supermarket in place — not to see it potentially absorbed by a national chain. The irony isn't lost on the inner-north: a win against the project could end up costing the neighbourhood its independent grocer.
Top image credit: Piedimontes Facebook