But if you're running a pilot, wouldn't you want it near some other store to see what the impact on their business actually is? Running a pilot in the middle of nowhere would say nothing about how it impacts other local stores. You'd end up having to run another pilot to answer that question.

> Running a pilot in the middle of nowhere would say nothing about how it impacts other local stores.

I disagree. They could still run the pilot "in the middle of nowhere" or in a food desert and still measure the impact on the nearest grocery stores. Given that's what they want to do long-term, I think that's the configuration they should be studying.

Ultimately they want to put the stores where hungry people need food and cannot afford to eat. Food deserts are not defined as a lack of all food sources, but a lack of affordable, accessible food sources. Therefore it's still important to assess the impact of placing it nearby other existing food sources.

Why wouldn't you want to discover whether and to what degree that actually negatively impacts the existing store?

Yes, I agree the city has undermined their own (strong) argument with their choice of location. I noted that in another comment as well.

(I previously lived about a ~10 minute walk from that public market.)