In addition to a housing complex that will be constructed on 2856 Webster Ave., the Bedford Park section of the Bronx — an area considered a food desert — will also keep its local supermarket, which will be relocated and developed into a new 12,000-foot supermarket.
The $93.5 million construction, overseen by developer Douglaston Development, is currently underway and the two affordable housing buildings to be built at 2856 Wesbter Ave., and 410 Bedord Park Blvd., are expected to be completed by 2022.
In New York City, Harlem, the South Bronx and Brooklyn have been designated as food deserts, defined as low-income areas without large supermarkets and access to many options for healthy, affordable food.
The supermarket, operated by Cherry Valley Marketplace, will abide by guidelines in the city’s Food Retail Expansion to Support Health (FRESH) program, an initiative the dedicates selling space to perishable food establishments in food desert communities.
Cherry Valley currently has a Bedford Park store located on 410 Bedford Park Blvd., which will be relocated to the Webster Avenue plot following the first stage of development that will construct 448 affordable housing units. The supermarket will be build on the ground floor of the buildings, and an affordable housing complex will follow it.
There is no updates on what will be built at 410 Bedford Park Blvd., vacant land which is owned by the The New York Botanical Garden. Developers received a zoning incentives package from the New York City Department of City Planning with the caveat that developers would keep the supermarket in the Bedford Park section.
“We know that keeping Cherry Valley Marketplace in the neighborhood is a top priority for the community, and we are delighted to be making that happen,” said Russell Lang, senior vice president at Douglaston Development. “As a result of this lease signing, Cherry Valley will significantly upgrade its facilities and continue to be a staple of the Bedford community as it has been since its inception in 2006.“
Reach Robbie Sequeira at rsequeira@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260-4599. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter @bronxtimes and Facebook @bronxtimes.
