It’s been a while since people walked to a house of worship in the Howard Park community at sunset on a Friday evening.

Last night, the purpose was a community meeting about the grocery store for the vacant lot at Liberty Heights and Hillsdale Avenues. The place was All Saints Roman Catholic church.

For more than a decade, the lot has been empty – an eyesore with no end in sight.

But now a deal is imminent. The principals are Jeff Brown, whose store we visited in West Philadelphia two years ago, and the Klein family, who own several Shop Rites in Baltimore and Harford counties. This would be their first store in Baltimore City.

When I was called upon to speak, I said, “In the Jewish community, we welcome the Sabbath on Friday nights with a family meal. My mother said it was OK to be with the Howard Park family tonight.”

“My district office is two blocks north of the grocery store site,” I continued. “I look forward to walking to lunch there in the near future.”

What role do state legislators play on a project like this? We met with the community and then shared their concerns with the Mayor, since the City owns the land, and with state officials, who can fund job training for some of the 250+ people who will be employed.

We’ve also been hearing from residents about a vacant property across the street – the Ambassador Theatre. The 12-year old  Barry Levinson and his friends walked to the movies there every Saturday afternoon.

“Once the grocery store is up and running,” I’ve told people, “the Ambassador will be a more valuable property to develop.”