Another supermarket Targeted for extinction

Queens Chronicle

Key Food on 31st Street in Astoria has shut down despite months of rallying from the community and elected officials.

Maryam Shariat Mudrick, co-founder of the Astoria Mutual Aid Network, had tried to save the business and said the news was not well received on Astoria Facebook pages.

“Regardless of the political association of the group, everyone is frustrated and disappointed that yet another grocery store and place to access food has been shuttered,” she told the Chronicle.

She said many residents in the neighborhood are elderly and that there are “very few grocery stores” in the area.

“There’s just a void and people are worried as they’re getting into the colder months that they’re going to have to travel to get their basics for living,” Mudrick said.

Astoria Food Pantry co-founder Macaela Sears said she expects longer lines at the pantry. “That’s my first and main concern,” she said, adding that the closure means 150 lost jobs during a pandemic and an unemployment crisis.

“People are not only losing their jobs but they’re going to lose their healthcare for a union job and have to decide, ‘Am I going to pay for my healthcare or am I going to pay for my groceries?’” Sears said.

They said the next closest similar market is at least 10 blocks away. There is a CTown Fresh Astoria on 31st Street and 24th Avenue but it’s more expensive.

“The Key Food split the difference on affordability and quality,” Mudrick said. “There are cheap options in the neighborhood and there are boutique options in the neighborhood but Key Food had everything. It was accessible. You could buy everything you needed in one location. It was right by the subway. There’s nothing like that for sure.”

Target will come into the location, against the wishes of some in the area.

Western Beef will not become hotel

From the Queens Gazette:

The developer of a massive hotel at the site of a former Western Beef Supermarket in Long Island City has scrapped plans for the project.

The site at the northwest corner of Northern Boulevard and Steinway Street includes the former supermarket property and four adjacent parcels formerly controlled by the food retailer. JMH Development leased the Western Beef supermarket and the four parcels from Western Beef in 2014 for $19.6 million.

Plans for the hotel included 119,722-sauare-feet of commercial space, a bar and a breakfast room on the ground floor of the 60-foot-tall building, along woth14 hotel rooms in the cellar level of the hotel, 28 rooms on the ground floor, 67 room on the second floor, 66 rooms on each of the third and fourth floors, and 49 rooms on the fifth floor, for a total of. 289 rooms.

Plans for the new development feature a six-story rental building with 140 residential units, 40,000-square-feet of retail and an undetermined number of indoor parking spaces.

The developers “re-thought” plans for the hotel and decided to scrap the project due to an overabundance on similar hotels located in Manhattan and Long Island City, according to a spokesperson for JMH Development.

SBS negatively impacting local businesses

Photo from Queens Chronicle

From the Queens Chronicle:

Rose, a manager at the C-Town Supermarket on Cross Bay Blvd. in Ozone Park, is usually busy helping her customers find what they’re looking for.

But lately, she’s been talking about the bus lanes right outside her business rather than what’s on sale.

“I was speaking to a customer just now about it,” said Rose, who didn’t want her last name published. “Nobody knows what to do right now. The customers are getting confused. They don’t know when they can park or when they’re going to get a ticket.”

Not only that, but the curbside bus lanes — installed as part of the Select Bus Service project for Woodhaven and Cross Bay boulevards — have led to a decline in the number of people shopping at the supermarket, located at 107-66 Cross Bay Blvd.

And that’s impacting the bottom line.

Koslowitz says she'll stop Key Food's departure

From the Queens Gazette:

The Forest Hills and Rego Park communities near the 112th Precinct have been in an uproar since it was announced that one of the community’s treasured shopping locations would be moving out of the area to be replaced by an 11-story, 170-unit rental apartment building, depriving the area of a supermarket and adding to the traffic and parking problems that already plague the area.

Former Queens County Deputy Borough President and present NYC Councilwoman for the area, Karen Koslowitz, vowed to stop the egress of the long-time food market located at the corner of Yellowstone and Queens Blvds. Her announcement was made during her participation in National Night Out Against Crime on Tuesday evening, August 1, as she spoke to a group of about 200 community residents who gathered together to recognize and honor the members of local law enforcement whose mission is to keep the community safe.

This I gotta see.

Goodbye, yellow brick road...er, Yellowstone Key Food

From Forest Hills Post:

A large real estate development company filed demolition permits last week to bulldoze Key Food, located on the corner of Queens Boulevard and Yellowstone Blvd.

The owner listed as David Schwartz of Slate Property Group plans to demolish the one-story building, which has multiple addresses such as 105-02 Queens Boulevard, 105-25 Gerard Place and 69-65 Yellowstone Boulevard.

Schwartz filed his demolition permit on June 23. The filing did not list what might replace the building.

Schwartz had no immediate comment.

However, hours later, the Real Deal reported that Schwartz had notified the publication that he planned to build an 11-story, 170-unit rental building.

Supermarket site to become giant hotel

From Queens Gazette:

Developers last week released plans for development of a parcel at the northwest corner of Northern Boulevard and Steinway Street, where a six-story, 272-unit hotel will rise on a site formerly occupied by a Western Beef Supermarket.

Initial plans indicate that the development will include 18,200-square-feet of retail space on the ground floor, with a potential to expand the retail space to 30,000-square-feet.

Plans show that a car wash, spa and restaurant located next to the property on Northern Boulevard will be demolished to make way for the hotel and retail space.

Plans for the development include parking spaces for approximately 60 vehicles.

And how long will this remain a hotel before its inevitable conversion into you-know-what?

After the fire - flies

"Hello,

Since the fire that destroyed both the [Strawberry Farms] market and laundromat, an increase in flies has hit the area. The smell of the rotten food is making it hard to reside nearby. 311 has been notified on several occasions. Hope this can get out to the masses." - anonymous

De Blasio ok with hiring illegals

From Crains:

In a radio interview Thursday, Mayor Bill De Blasio cheered a Brooklyn supermarket owner who acknowledged hiring undocumented workers.

“Of course you’re running a business and if someone’s willing to work hard for you, you’re going to hire that person,” de Blasio told the caller, who was identified as Thomas in Brooklyn. “And you’re giving them a job that they get to feed a family on, and I thank you for that.”

The caller told the mayor he owns a supermarket in Brooklyn. “A large number of my employees are undocumented workers and, you know, I have to say that, you know, they are hard workers, they do get paid well,” he said. “Just as a businessman I’m caught between having these undocumented workers, which I’m not supposed to employ,” and the benefits of doing so.

De Blasio said neither the business owner nor the employees should be penalized, calling the current rules governing immigration “ridiculous."

Someone moved an Astoria Blvd bus stop

From PIX11:

Neighbors knew something was wrong along Astoria Boulevard at 100th Street.

The bus stop for the Q19 and Q49 bus moved randomly down the block. Reports were made to the city.

Councilmember Julissa Ferreras lives in the area and represents the East Elmhurst district. She noticed the sign and that the nearby vacant lot had been cleared.

Neighbors also made 311 calls and the the NYC Department of Buildings issued violations for work being done without a permit, including creating a new curb entrance to the vacant lot.

Vehicles from a store across the street were seen parking there. The grocery chain did not comment on the work.

No place left to shop

"There's No full service grocery store left in Northeast Queens. With Pathmark and Bay Terrace Waldbaum's sold to Stop 'n Shop and the rest of the Waldbaum's closing, they are not getting deliveries of most items.

They've already all run out of my egg whites and some other items..... The Whitestone Key food also is selling out of several items...

A & P pretty much had a monopoly in the North east part of Queens, at least. I don't know about other areas of Queens or the 5 boros.

Where are we supposed to go, to Los Angeles for groceries? Ha Ha Ha." - anonymous

Whitestone brownfield won't get cleaned up

From the Times Ledger:

The Great Atlantic Pacific & Tea Company currently has no definite plans to clean up a brownfield at the former Johnny on the Spot Dry Cleaners site in Whitestone after the company filed for bankruptcy in July, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

At the end of July, A&P, which also owns Pathmark and Waldbaum’s, announced it had agreed to sell 120 stores for about $600 million. The company said it secured financing of $100 million and voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In July 2014, A&P submitted an application on behalf of the former Johnny on the Spot Dry Cleaners at 152-45 10th Ave. to the DEC’s Brownfield Cleanup Program, a voluntary program that helps repair and redevelop brownfields, or contaminated properties.

Another supermarket closing

From the Queens Courier:

The Met Food market in Flushing will be closing its doors after Sunday, July 26, to make way for a new development.

After more than 30 years of operation, the independently-owned neighborhood grocery store, located at 41-62 Bowne St., is shutting down following a decision by owners Abel and Ahmed Saleh to sell the property.

In an interview, store manager Ziyad Saleh said the property has been purchased by a number of investors who plan to raze the building and existing foundation, which cannot support more than two stories. The property’s new owners plan to build a new foundation for a new, taller building.

However, that’s just about the only thing that’s certain about the future of the site. Rumors and speculation abound about what’s coming to the neighborhood next — many suspect the new structure will be an apartment building or condominium, while others believe it will become a new grocery store stocked with items to attract customers from the neighborhood’s expanding Asian population.

Goodbye Pathmark & Waldbaum's, hello Stop & Shop

Queens Courier

From the Queens Courier:

Stop & Shop is looking to grab six Queens supermarkets off the clearance rack.

The company announced Monday it is acquiring local Pathmark and Waldbaum’s supermarkets from the struggling Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P), which filed for bankruptcy. In all, Stop & Shop is purchasing 25 Pathmark, Waldbaum’s and A&P locations in the tri-state area from the grocery giant for $146 million. The deal is subject to court approval, but is expected to be finalized before the end of this calendar year.

Stop & Shop currently has five locations in Queens, including on Myrtle Avenue in Glendale; on Union Turnpike on the Glendale/Forest Hills border; on Northern Boulevard in Little Neck; and on 48th Street in Long Island City.

The chain will more than double its presence in the “World’s Borough” with the addition of three Waldbaum’s stores on 26th Avenue in Bayside, Beach Channel Drive in Belle Harbor and Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach, as well as three Pathmark locations on Farrington Street in Flushing, Atlantic Avenue in Ozone Park and Springfield Boulevard in Springfield Gardens.

HUGE development coming to Flushing shore

From the Queens Courier:

The former Asian grocery Assi Plaza, located in Flushing, is about to change hands again to make way for redevelopment.

Eastern Consolidated’s Capital Advisory Division has negotiated a $42 million bridge loan from a private lender on behalf of Triple Star Realty LLC, which used the loan to purchase the nearly 100,000-square-foot property on which the former supermarket sat. The total acquisition cost was upwards of $90 million.

Triple Star Realty plans to raze the existing structures on the former supermarket site in order to develop a 631,752-square-foot, mixed-use waterfront complex that will consist of a 360-unit condominium and a 200-room hotel, as well as a supermarket, retail and office space, and parking. The development will be comparable to other large-scale projects, such as Sky View Parc, Flushing Commons and Willets Point.

Car crashes into Flushing Pathmark

From WPIX:

Multiple people were injured after an SUV crashed into a Queens Pathmark Tuesday evening.

Firefighters responded to the scene at 31-06 Farrington St. in Flushing around 6 p.m., for a car into the building.

The crash caused part of the ceiling to collapse.

Five people were injured in the crash. One person is in serious condition.

Whitestone A&P seeks brownfield status

From the Times Ledger:

The site of a former dry cleaners’ service, which is part of a shopping center in Whitestone, is now being considered for the state Brownfield Cleanup Program.

On July 14, the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, a supermarket chain based in Montvale, N.J., submitted an application on behalf of the former Johnny on the Spot Dry Cleaners on 152-45 10th Ave. to the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Brownfield Cleanup Program.

It is a voluntary program that helps repair and redevelop brownfields, or contaminated properties. The application was completed by Oct. 29, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The site is part of the Whitestone Shopping Center, a 62,000-square-foot property on 153-01 10th Ave., which includes the Waldbaum’s supermarket, Subway restaurant, Sunshine Spa & Hair Salon, Cascarino’s Pizza, Cascarino’s upcoming Café 154, J.D. Opticians and the Astoria Bank, which is adjacent to the site.

It was unclear what and if A&P planned to build on the site, but a brownfield application indicates the company may have a project in mind, said Paul Graziano, an urban planning consultant and a historic preservationist.

“If they want to redevelop the site in any way, they have to go through a brownfield cleanup,” Graziano said. “It’s in a manufacturing zone and my guess is if they want to do something besides what’s existing, then they are looking to go through this cleanup.”

The A&P has a 40-year lease on the property, according to an agreement between Feil Whitestone and Waldbaum’s Inc. dated Feb. 27, 2004.

A&P could not be reached for comment after repeated attempts.

Jamaica getting 3 new hotels

From DNA Info:

A Flushing-based developer who recently plunked down $22 million in cash to buy the largest property in Downtown Jamaica, is planning to build three Marriott-brand hotels in the area, he said.

Chris Xu, who built several hotels near LaGuardia Airport and in Chinatown, is also bringing apartments and a supermarket to the neighborhood.

Two of new hotels — Courtyard and Fairfield Inn and Suites — would be located in one building planned on Archer Avenue, near 149th Street, Xu, president of the United Construction & Development Group Corp., said.

The 16-story building would contain more than 330 hotel rooms (Courtyard would feature 224 rooms and Fairfield would have 114), he said.

Xu is also planning to build another hotel — SpringHill Suites — on Queens Boulevard, between Jamaica and Hillside avenues, he said.

That building would be six stories high and would feature 160 rooms, he said.

Candid Camera comes to Queens

Candid Camera visited Queens last week, stopping in Jamaica Estates in the first segment to deliver color coded garbage cans to unsuspecting residents, and then did 3 segments at Silver Barn in Middle Village (even though they mistakenly called it Brooklyn).

You can watch the entire episode here.

Admiral's Row supermarket: take 3

From Crains:

The Brooklyn Navy Yard, the huge industrial park on the East River waterfront below Williamsburg, is hoping that three's a charm for a large development site called Admiral's Row on the property's southwest corner.

On Monday, the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. released a request for proposals to build a big supermarket there, as well as additional retail space that could house shops or restaurants and more office and industrial space.

It is the third time that the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp., the nonprofit that operates the area, solicited developers for the site in as many years after two previous winners for the site, PA Associates and subsequently Blumenfeld Development Group, were dropped.

The nonprofit predicts that the project will require more than $100 million of investment and will generate 500 jobs. The deal will be structured so that the winning developer will lease the site long term.

David Ehrenberg, the president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, said the development would provide both the neighborhood and the 300-acre Navy Yard complex with a long-needed go-to place for groceries.

"This area currently qualifies as a food desert," Mr. Ehrenberg said. "We wanted to provide a supermarket for the surrounding community and also give the growing numbers of workers at the Navy Yard a place to eat and get a cup of coffee."

The Admiral's Row development will also allow the Navy Yard to add about 127,000 square feet of office and industrial space. That square footage will largely be on the second floor of a new building that will house the supermarket on its ground floor.

Admiral's Row is named for the stately, but now badly deteriorated houses at the site that once housed the base's top naval brass. Those buildings have decayed to the point where they will have to be razed, Mr. Ehrenberg said. But two structures, one of the houses and also a historic lumber shed are required to be fully refurbished as part of the RFP. Those could be home to shops or restaurants in the new development, he said.

Mom-and-pops shown the door

From the Queens Chronicle:

The last remaining small stores along the Kissena Curve will be gone soon, replaced by an expanded kosher supermarket, likely reducing foot traffic on the street.

Aron’s Kissena Farms market has a Kissena Boulevard address, 72-15, but like the two megastores on the block, the recently opened Micro Center, an electronics firm, and National Wholesale Liquidators, the entrances are from the rear parking lot only.

The shopping area is between 71st and 72nd avenues. And even now there are few pedestrians walking along the east side of the street.
Merchants say the development’s owner has refused to give new leases to two well-established stores and they will be closing soon. Jasmine Health Foods at 72-09 Kissena Blvd. is winding up its business in a few days. Cards and Gifts at 72-05 Kissena Blvd. will finish within the month.

The owner of the health food store did not want his name used, but said, “They are forcing us out after 20 years. Is that fair?”