A Riverside grocery fears light rail will take its gas pumps. Here is what the council has approved so far

A Southeast Austin grocery store says Austin's light rail plans could take the land under its gas pumps and put the business at risk. The Austin Transit Partnership (ATP), which is building the line, says the store is not being displaced and the design is not final. The Austin Chronicle reported the dispute on Oct. 22.

The store is JD's Supermarket on East Riverside Drive, near where the latest route puts a station at Riverside and Montopolis Drive. The Chronicle described it as a neighborhood grocery, a gathering place and a source of Latino products. The store says about 2,250 customers a month use food assistance benefits there.

What the store and ATP say

According to the Chronicle:

• ATP plans to use eminent domain to acquire part of the property. The building would stay, but the land holding the gas pumps would be bought.
• Store representatives say the gas station brings in about 30% of sales, and losing it could force the store to close within one to two years. The location has created 90 jobs since it opened in 2023.
• The store got an official letter from ATP about possible displacement in March and met with ATP in June and September. ATP says it has been in touch about 20 times over two years.
• Store representatives have pointed to nearby land whose owners may be willing to sell, as an alternative.
• ATP spokesperson Jennifer Pyne said the project would move a sidewalk and a utility pole closer to the store but would not block access. "We are still in design. That design work is not final," she said.
• State Rep. Lulu Flores of District 51 said she supports transit but is concerned about displacement. "We need transportation that truly serves people," she said.

JD's was on a list of possibly affected properties that KUT compiled in 2025 from ATP's maps. At the time, ATP said up to 64 businesses and four single-family homes could be taken, and it had not published its own list.

What our records add

ATP, not the city, is building the line, and we found no council agenda item on the JD's property. But the council has set the terms for how the city and ATP work together:

• Land buying rules. In September 2025 the council voted 11-0, on consent, for an interlocal agreement with ATP covering acquisition of real property for light rail.
• Design and utilities. In May 2026 it approved, 9-0 with two members absent, a design agreement with ATP. The agreement gives ATP temporary access to city property, reimburses ATP up to $36.8 million for city utility upgrades, and covers impacts to parkland. The council also accepted $4.2 million from ATP for parkland mitigation and transportation design.
• Permitting. In July it voted 10-0 to correct the light rail development review ordinance on utility pipe spacing.

The corridor plan is being rewritten. At the Oct. 1 Mobility Committee, a city planner said the East Riverside corridor's vision and regulating plans were written before the current light rail design. The city held two rounds of public input, will hold another later this fall, and expects the council to consider the update in spring 2027.

The area is in District 3, represented by Council Member José Velásquez, who is on the Nov. 3 ballot. Our District 3 story covers that race.

What's next

ATP told the Chronicle it will look for ways to reduce the impact as design continues. No date for a decision on the JD's property has been announced. The East Riverside plan update will return to the public this fall and to the council next spring.