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This site collects only what's needed to keep participation fair and meaningful.

To calculate what was lost, we compare access coverage before and after the closures using 15-minute walkable access polygons. All calculations use only the area within the Lake City boundary, so polygons extending outside Lake City are properly accounted for. Access percentages reflect area-based 15-minute walkable coverage of full-service resources that are broadly accessible to the public within the Lake City boundary and are not population-weighted.

Pharmacy Access Loss Calculation (37% loss):

• Before closures: We calculate the union of walkability polygons for ALL pharmacies (including those that later closed: Fred Meyer, Bartell Drugs, and Walgreens) excluding clinic-based pharmacies with limited availability (Seattle Indian Health Board and Genoa Healthcare). We then intersect this union with the Lake City boundary to get the area within Lake City. This gives us 55.9% of Lake City that had 15-minute walkable pharmacy access before closures.
• After closures: We calculate the union of walkability polygons for REMAINING OPEN pharmacies (excluding closed pharmacies and clinics). We intersect this union with the Lake City boundary. This gives us 19.0% of Lake City that has 15-minute walkable pharmacy access after closures.
• What was lost: We calculate the difference: 55.9% - 19.0% = 36.9% (rounded to 37%). This represents a loss of 37% of Lake City's pharmacy access due to the closure of Fred Meyer, Bartell Drugs, and Walgreens.

Supermarket Access Loss Calculation (22% loss from Fred Meyer):

• Before closures: We calculate the union of walkability polygons for ALL supermarkets (including Fred Meyer, which later closed). We intersect this union with the Lake City boundary. This gives us 40.7% of Lake City that had 15-minute walkable supermarket access before closures.
• After closures: We calculate the union of walkability polygons for REMAINING OPEN supermarkets only (QFC - North Seattle, QFC - Northgate, and Safeway). We intersect this union with the Lake City boundary. This gives us 18.8% of Lake City that has 15-minute walkable supermarket access after closures.
• What was lost: We calculate the difference: 40.7% - 18.8% = 21.9% (rounded to 22%). This represents a loss of 22% of Lake City's supermarket access due to Fred Meyer's closure.

Resource Selection Criteria:

These numbers reflect access to full-service supermarkets and full-service pharmacies only. When including clinic-based pharmacies with limited availability (Seattle Indian Health Board and Genoa Healthcare), pharmacy access dropped from 66.0% to 57.2% (a loss of 8.8% of Lake City's pharmacy access). However, these clinic-based pharmacies require enrollment, have limited hours, and may not meet neighborhood-scale demand.

Grocery coverage would appear higher if we included small grocers (such as Grocery Outlet), but this would be misleading because small grocers are not equivalent to large grocers or full-service supermarkets. Small grocers typically offer limited selection, fewer healthy options, variable fresh food availability, and often higher prices compared to full-service supermarkets. They cannot serve as anchor stores that meet neighborhood-scale grocery needs (see 2019 UW Food Availability Study).