Commission Okays Related Companies’ Plan for $394M Mall At Bronx Market
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The city Planning Commission approved a plan yesterday by the Related Companies for a $394 million mega mall on the site of the Bronx Terminal Market, paving the way for a council debate that project opponents say will be contentious.
Related’s plan for the Gateway Mall, a 1 million-square-foot development of retail space, a hotel, and banquet facility on a 16-acre site just south of Yankee Stadium, has had the enthusiastic backing of the Bloomberg administration and the Bronx president Adolfo Carrion. The lease between the city and developer for the project site included a risk-reducing incentive package that opponents have criticized, calling it a sweetheart deal.
The chairwoman of the Department of City Planning, Amanda Burden, said, “It is very important for the city that after decades of disinvestment and abandonment the South Bronx is indeed resurging.”
Despite unanimous approval, several planning commissioners said they had concerns about traffic congestion and that the project would displace about 20 food merchants. The merchants, who have sued to stop their pending eviction, are considering a facility of their own that could resemble Chelsea Market, a collection of food vendors in a renovated Manhattan warehouse that is widely seen as a retail success story. The merchants met recently with the developer of Chelsea Market, Irwin Cohen. Mr. Cohen told The New York Sun he has looked at several locations in the South Bronx for a possible relocation.
A spokeswoman for the city, Janel Patterson, said officials had spoken with Mr. Cohen but needed more information from him before talks could continue.
A lobbyist who represents small supermarkets, bodegas, and their employee unions, Richard Lipsky, said that he is focusing his efforts on the upcoming review by the City Council. He said debate will likely focus on the merchants and the type of business – specifically non-union big box stores – that would inhabit the mall.
“When the administration backs a particular project, the level of scrutiny at planning is not going to be as significant, or certainly not as critical,” Mr. Lipsky said yesterday. “The City Council is under no such obligation.”