More than a year after a deal to bring a grocery to the Hill District was thought to be sealed, the search for a company to serve the neighborhood continues, and residents who endure long drives or multiple bus rides to buy groceries will have to wait a little longer.

The company that the Urban Redevelopment Authority selected last November, Kuhn's Market, has dropped its plans to open a full-service grocery in the area, said spokesman Dan Sakala.

Mr. Sakala declined to discuss the decision, but URA spokeswoman Megan Stearman said the plan stalled because the owner of Kuhn's Market has health issues.

The URA has been working for years with the Hill House Association, a neighborhood nonprofit, to bring a grocery store to the area.

"We're still very optimistic about the future," said Evan Frazier, Hill House president and chief executive officer.

With funding and a location secured, the organization has been talking with several companies that could potentially operate the store, he said, though he declined to identify them.

"Now that Kuhn's is out of the picture, these other operators will be negotiating in earnest," said Carl Redwood, a community activist. "We still hope that the store will begin to be built in the spring."

Mr. Frazier said the project is more attractive to companies now than it was last year because the groundwork is completed.

In February, the Hill House Association secured $8.4 million of required funding, and the City Planning Commission approved land development plans in July. The store will be located at Centre Avenue and Heldman Street.

But the project began to falter over the summer. At community meetings this fall, it was revealed that Kuhn's had still not signed a lease for the lot.

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl called the company's decision "discouraging," and stressed that the city was looking for a full-service grocery store at the site.

That could diminish the chances of St. Louis-based Save-A-Lot, which had proposed a 16,000-square-foot limited service store but lost to Kuhn's.

"We believe that a full-service grocery store is necessary," said Mr. Ravenstahl. "We believe it's what the community deserves."

The predominantly black neighborhood has not had a grocery store in more than 30 years, said Mr. Frazier. Residents frequently travel long distances to buy groceries.

"Often it's several bus rides," he said.

Mr. Redwood said the problem is compounded because the Port Authority has cut back on bus routes to the South Side Giant Eagle, where many Hill District residents shop.

"What this grocery store would mean to the Hill is easier access -- better access -- to fresh foods and healthy foods," said Mr. Frazier.

The store would also bring jobs to the neighborhood, he said.

The Hill House Association was already looking for other operators when the Kuhn's decision was made public Tuesday.

"We owed it to the community," said Mr. Frazier.

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