The city is looking to lease out a prime piece of real estate in the borough’s food distribution hub that services the entire metropolitan region.
The New York City Economic Development Corporation is seeking a food-related distributor or manufacturer that is interested in leasing a seven and a half acre site that’s one of a handful of vacant parcels in and around the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center.
The site, comprising roughly an entire city block, is directly across Food Center Drive from the HPFDC’s fish market and adjacent to its meat market complex, was recently an environmentally remediated brownfield site.
Part of the property line runs along Halleck Street.
The agency has issued a Request of Expressions of Interest that is due on Friday, April 6, with an informational session planned for Friday, March 2, according to NYCEDC.
The offering is part of the city’s New York Works initiative, a group of 25 initiatives that plans to create 100,000 jobs with good wages in the city over the next ten years, stated NYCEDC.
James Patchett, NYCEDC president, said that leasing the location is an opportunity “to expand the level of job-intensive food manufacturing and distribution” in the HPFDC.
Nunzio Del Greco, president and CEO of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, said that his organization is excited to hear that NYCEDC is seeking proposals for the site.
“Further creating economic development and good paying jobs exemplifies our mission to strengthen the economic viability and improve the quality of life for the Bronx,” said Del Greco, adding “Developing the 7.5 acre site is a good thing for the Bronx”.
For the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, Marlene Cintron, the organization’s executive director, said that she knows of three existing businesses already in the HPFDC that are interested in acquiring the site.
The interested businesses will have the ability to continue to grow and expand, she said.
“There is a lot of interest and need for the property that is being RFEI’d,” said Cintron. “We look forward to continuation of the expansions, or a brand new business.”
The property is in a prime location for any food business, said Cintron, adding she estimated that based on the size of the currently vacant property, about 300 would probably have employment.
She said BOEDC is delighted that NYCEDC is gearing up to lease the property.
Cintron said she hopes that the NYCEDC selects current neighbors because they are businesses the borough is already familiar with, or chooses a business that would relocate from another borough due to their own expansion needs.
She added that other nearby properties could be remediated to suit the needs of growing businesses.
Councilman Rafael Salamanca said that he is pleased to see that NYCEDC continues “to remediate properties that can be utilized to create further investment and growth.”
Senator Jeff Klein said, in a statement, that he was thrilled to hear that the city plans to move forward and lease the land, especially since he recently announced a $1 million allocation for investment in the food hub.
For more information, contact NYCEDC or visit their website to view the RFEI here: www.nyced
