City To Offer Financial Boost to Stores Threatened by Mamdani’s Gastronoms

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration is studying ways to support the food sellers already in place near the city-run grocery stores coming soon to East Harlem and The Bronx, highlighting the amount of fresh food already available near the project’s flagship location.“I think we’re, as an agency, looking at a number of different, you know, complementary policies and programs, grants, incentives that can come alongside these grocery stores to support other local independent businesses that are in the neighborhoods,” an official with the city’s Economic Development Corporation told NY1 on Wednesday.The remarks followed a tour the agency led of La Marqueta on Park Avenue in East Harlem, the future site of the city’s first publicly funded grocery store, to which the Mamdani administration has already committed $30 million, or roughy 43 percent of the $70 million the city has budgeted for the project.The New York Sun reached out to several grocery stores within walking distance of the construction site but did not receive responses in time for publication. Existing East Harlem grocers include City Fresh Market, located around the corner on 116th Street; Shop Fair of 116th Street one avenue over; Food Town East Harlem and another City Fresh Market, located across the street from each other a 10-minute walk up Third Avenue.In the Bronx, a municipal grocery store is expected to take up part of The Peninsula, a redevelopment project at the site of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Facility. The only full-scale grocery store within walking distance of that location is C-Town, though a smattering of bodegas up and down the street stand to lose business if Mr. Mamdani makes a go of it as a grocer.A spokesperson for the Economic Development Corporation walked back part of the official’s televised remarks in a statement to The New York Sun on Thursday.“To clarify, the NYC Grocery Task Force is evaluating programs and policies to support local grocers as we continue to make progress with the NYC Groceries initiative,” the agency said. “We are not currently considering any grant programs for existing grocers. However, we are looking at the potential for tax abatement, incentives, and zoning benefits through existing City programs to ensure that the City is doing everything in our power to alleviate cost pressures for small businesses across the city.”At a press conference last month, Mr. Mamdani committed to making core goods — including all fresh produce, meat, and seafood, as well as milk, bread and eggs — 30 percent cheaper at his municipal stores than at privately owned groceries.

City To Offer Financial Boost to Stores Threatened by Mamdani’s Gastronoms

City To Offer Financial Boost to Stores Threatened by Mamdani’s Gastronoms

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