Mayor Mamdani announces city-run grocery store to open in the Bronx next year
HUNTS POINT, The Bronx (WABC) -- A city-run store will open in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx in 2027, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
The 20,000 square foot store will operate at The Peninsula, an affordable housing complex located on the site of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Facility.
"We are going to use the power of government to lower prices and make it easier for New Yorkers to put food on the table," Mamdani said.
Officials hope it will serve as an economic anchor for the South Bronx community.
"It'll definitely be helpful money-wise because it is getting expensive everyday, buying food and necessary things," said Hunts Point resident Rigoberto Garcia.
The benefits of a city-run store in Hunts Point should bring considerable economic relief for people who truly need the help. The mayor estimates 77 percent of households in the South Bronx struggle to afford basic necessities.
Just last month, Mamdani announced 'La Marqueta' in East Harlem as the first site selected for the municipal grocery store program, which calls for a city-run food store in each Borough.
City leaders asked New Yorkers what they would like to see inside a city-run grocery store, and the answers are rather clear: cheaper eggs, fresh produce, low prices and a healthy variety.
"The good price is the hard part, it's not hard finding it, but the price is the part, especially when you gotta go into the city - there's prices, you are paying for everything you do here," said Hunts Point resident Bernardo Rodriguez.
It is all part of a plan for the city to run five stores, one in each borough, by the end of the mayor's first term.
Under Mamdani's plan, the city owns the land or leases space and covers the costs of construction or renovations, and a private contractor manages the daily operations where "everyday staples" will be sold at discounts.
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