Real Estate Photographer in Del Valle, TX

Lee esta historia en español

Richard Franklin had his heart set on making honey garlic pork bites. He had everything he needed for the recipe, except ground ginger.

“I initially said, well, it’s just powdered ginger, let me go to Dollar General. They don’t have it. Let me go across the street to the other dollar store. They don’t have it. I went to El Mercado. They don’t have it,” he recounted.

For most people in Austin, missing one ingredient in a recipe just means a quick trip to the grocery store. But Franklin and his wife, Rebecca Birch, live in Del Valle, a community of roughly 22,000 in Southeastern Travis County. Their neighborhood is classified as a food desert by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The convenience stores near them have canned and frozen food, but they're more expensive than at major groceries. Birch calls the fresh produce options at these stores “scary.”

“They tell you Dollar General has fresh fruit but you’re paying a dollar for a brown banana,” she said.

Franklin and Birch can afford to drive 30 minutes each way to the Mueller H-E-B to get a weekly haul of groceries. They keep two insulated bags in their trunk to keep items cold on the way home.

But not everyone in Del Valle has reliable transportation or the financial means to go out of their way to get healthy food. A 2024 report from the Central Texas Food Bank found nearly 18% of Del Valle residents are food insecure, compared to 14% in the rest of Travis County.

Residents have been advocating for a grocery store to open in their neighborhood for years. They’ve started petitions, handed out flyers and contacted their City Council representatives.

For many residents, hope that a major grocery store would eventually come to Del Valle was sparked in 2016 when H-E-B bought land near the airport at FM 973 and Texas 71.

In 2023, Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes, whose district includes Del Valle, wrote a letter urging H-E-B to prioritize building there.

“Over the past ten years, Del Valle has grown at a much faster rate than the City of Austin [32.7% compared to 21.7%]," she wrote. "As the area continues to rapidly grow, H-E-B has a real opportunity to make an impact and lead the way to combat food insecurity by establishing a location in Del Valle."

The letter didn't seem to make a difference, and this past November, H-E-B announced it was going to sell the land back to the developers.

H-E-B declined an interview for this story, but Errol Schweizer, a former Whole Foods executive and grocery store expert, has some insights into why it might not invest in Del Valle.

Grocery stores have an algorithm: a certain number of houses times a certain median family income equals a sweet spot for a new store. And though Del Valle is growing, the population isn't outpacing other sites H-E-B has its eye on.

The new store H-E-B is building in Manor, for example, has over 30,000 people within a 3-mile radius, according to commercial real estate company CoStar. There are about 19,000 people within a 3-mile radius of the land H-E-B bought in Del Valle, the company said.

As for other grocery stores, Schweizer said the mere possibility of H-E-B opening a store in Del Valle may be scaring off competitors. Even big grocers like Walmart don’t want to “poke the bear.”

“They’re scared of H-E-B. They’re scared of a price war or a turf war," he said. "Next thing you know H-E-B will start opening stores in opportunistic locations close to Walmarts.”

Del Valle resident Larry Bryant said if the neighborhood needs to grow more to get a grocery store, they’re stuck in a “chicken and egg” problem.

“That growth can’t happen because the services people expect don’t exist here," he said. "So a choice not to invest in business here really means that growth is capped.”

The City of Austin is trying to fill the void with a cooperative grocery store set to open this spring. Co-ops are stores owned by its customers; people can become members and give input on what items are available.

The store will be small — it’s being run out of a shipping container — and have limited hours, but Jess Ferrari, who worked on the project in the city’s economic development department, hopes it will provide much-needed food access until the area grows enough to attract a larger retailer.

Over 350 people have pledged to be members when the co-op opens. But Ferrari says they need many more for the co-op to be sustainable.

“If the community isn’t excited about this project and isn’t invested in it then the co-op won’t survive," she said. "And that’s the nature of co-ops.”

Franklin and Birch said they like the idea of a community-owned store, but they, too, are ready for their neighborhood to get a reliable grocery store, big enough to serve all of Del Valle.

Resident Aida Ramirez sees the temporary solution as a “slap in the face” and predicts the co-op will become overwhelmed quickly.

“Think about that. Think about what we have to settle with. We have to [shop] out of a container because we’re not worth a grocery store,” she said. “We pay taxes, too, and we should have access to basic resources like food. Real food.”

Don't Miss

See More

Radar

Now

Winter Wellness

How Children Can Improve Their Cold Weather Breathing

Breathe Easier This Winter By Improving Indoor Air Quality

How To Deal With Asthma In The Cold

See More

Home, Garage & Garden

Experts Warn Of A Spring Pest Explosion Fueled By Weather

Knowing This Can Save Your Home When Pipes Burst

Why Your Home's Air Might Be More Polluted Than Outdoors

See More

Trending Now

When Will DC Cherry Blossoms Be At Peak Bloom?

Cyclone Cuts Off Power, Drinking Water On Reunion Island

Parenting Through A Natural Disaster: Preparation Is Key

How To Spot A Rip Current Know The Signs Save Your Life

See More

Winter Central

Over one hundred Texas educators have come under scrutiny in a sweeping certification scandal, ensnaring at least two teachers from the Del Valle Independent School District. The investigation, orchestrated by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), delves into allegations of cheating on necessary certification exams, as reported by CBS Austin.

The scandal initially surfaced in 2020 after evidence suggested that certain teachers employed proxies to sit for the certification tests on their behalf. In the unfolding events, "The district’s top priority is to ensure we provide a high-quality education for all students," CBS Austin reported Del Valle ISD as saying. Del Valle confirmed their cooperation with the ongoing TEA investigation.

According to KVUE, the Houston-based operation involved bribing a testing center employee and a bogus test administrator to aid in the examination deceit. Former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg commented on the magnitude of the fraud, saying, "The extent of this scheme will never be fully known, but we know that at least 400 tests were taken and at least 200 teachers falsely certified."

Further details from KVUE highlight the arrest of five educators linked to this scheme, with charges for some extending beyond educational fraud to include child-related offenses. The alleged ringleader, a high school basketball coach from Houston, reportedly amassed over one million dollars through this insidious operation by charging around $2,500 for each counterfeit certification.

As this situation unfolds, the repercussions of such actions underscore the stringent need for integrity in the certification process, crucial in safeguarding the quality of education and, paramountly, the well-being of the students entrusted to our schools. Del Valle ISD's commitment to supporting TEA's investigation and providing a quality education remains unwavering in the face of these disturbing allegations.

Austin-Crime & Emergencies

Five educators have already been charged in the million-dollar teacher cheating scandal as the number of teachers under investigation grows.

More Videos

AUSTIN, Texas — More than 100 Texas teachers are under investigation in a major fraudulent certification scheme that now involves a pair of Del Valle ISD teachers.

In October, multiple people were charged in a teacher certification cheating ring that led to unqualified teachers being hired throughout Texas.

Authorities in Houston said the elaborate scheme, which started around May 2020, led to an ongoing statewide investigation. Investigators said teachers used test-taking proxies—individuals who impersonated them—to pass certification exams. A fake test administrator would oversee the process, and a testing center employee was bribed to allow the cheating.

Now the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is investigating more than 100 teachers across the state, including two from Del Valle ISD, for allegedly participating in the scheme. Del Valle ISD said it was aware of allegations involving the teachers, one of which is currently employed by the district, while the other worked for Del Valle ISD during the 2023-24 school year.

While authorities aren't sure how many teachers participated in the scheme, the Texas Education Agency said it expects more teachers to be added to its list of pending investigations.

"The extent of this scheme will never be fully known, but we know that at least 400 tests were taken and at least 200 teachers falsely certified," former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said about the scandal.

Five educators have already been charged in the million-dollar teacher cheating scandal.

Three of those include two Houston ISD assistant principals and a Houston ISD boy's high school basketball coach. Two of the people charged allegedly paid for the fake certification and used it to commit crimes against children. One was charged with indecency with a child while the other was charged with online solicitation of a minor.

Prosecutors believe the scheme’s kingpin was a Houston high school boys' basketball coach who profited more than $1 million. Prosecutors said he charged $2,500 per fake certification, though some people paid higher fees due to middlemen.

Meanwhile, Del Valle ISD said its top priority is to ensure it provides a high-quality education to all students and that it would be cooperating with the TEA's investigation.