The Albany County Legislature wants to buy the former South End Grocery Store on South Pearl Street.

The supermarket, located in a former McDonald’s, opened in December 2022 to great fanfare, and hopes it would provide fresh food options in the neighborhood.

However, it dealt with many issues from the start, including falling behind on mortgage payments, and closing for weeks due to an incident with a fire extinguisher. It shut down for good last August.

Travon Jackson owned the South End Grocery Store but defaulted on loans.

Now Jackson is accused of burglary. He’s facing charges for allegedly stabbing a man with a screwdriver while attempting to steal electronics.

If the county buys the site, Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said he would like it to remain a place where residents can buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

Hear some of his suggestions on how to do that by watching the video of Tessa Bentulan’s story.