Site of future rooftop farm in Hunts Point

Opportunity to develop and operate a rooftop farm on a 200,000 sq.ft. building near the Halleck Industrial Development Site. On June 11, 2012, the Economic Development Corporation issued a request for proposals for the development and operation of a year-round rooftop farm on a 200,000-square-foot City-owned warehouse along the East River in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx. The farm would be located on the roof of 600 Food Center Drive, which is currently occupied by Sultana Distribution and Citarella. EDC anticipates executing a lease with the chosen developer by the end of the summer of 2012, with construction beginning in the fall of 2012. The site is south of the Halleck Industrial Development Site, which is subject to a separate, and ongoing, EDC request for proposals process. (See CityLand’s coverage of the Halleck Industrial Development Site RFP here).

The warehouse’s lot is zoned M3-1, which permits heavy manufacturing uses. According to EDC, a rooftop farm or greenhouse would be permitted as-of-right on the warehouse.  The warehouse is located within the boundary of the Hunts (more…)

Public facility within Hunts Point Food Distribution Center would provide alternative fuel pumps and maintenance bays to retrofit and convert conventional fuel engines. On November 30, 2011, the City Planning Commission approved the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and the Department of Small Business Services’ proposal to allow the Atlantis Management Group to redevelop a City-owned lot within the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center into the City’s first public alternative fueling facility. Atlantis Management will lease and redevelop the 18,000 sq.ft. brownfield site located at the corner of Halleck Street and Food Center Drive. The lot is surrounded by the Fulton Fish Market, Hunts Point Co-op Meat Market, and Baldor Specialty Foods.  (more…)

Opportunity to develop food-related or wholesale industrial use on 9.75- acre site near Fulton Fish Market. On June 2, 2011, the Economic Development Corporation issued an open request for proposals for the redevelopment of a City-owned site in Hunts Point, Bronx. The unimproved 9.75-acre parcel fronts Halleck Street and Food Center Drive, and is within the Hunts Point Distribution Center which includes the Hunts Point Produce Market, the Hunts Point Meat Market, and the New Fulton Fish Market. EDC is seeking a developer to redevelop the site into a food-related and/or wholesale industrial use pursuant to a long-term ground lease. The site is zoned M3-1, which permits heavy manufacturing uses.

According to EDC, food-related uses may include wholesale and retail components, so long as the retail use is ancillary to the wholesale use. Because the parcel is located within a designated market area under the State Agriculture and Markets Law, proposed “market-consistent” uses including the buying, selling, processing, manufacturing, and warehousing of food, flowers, or ornamental plants, would not require review under the City’s land use review process. (more…)

Gourmet Guru to invest $4.9 million. On May 13, 2008, the New York City Industrial Development Agency awarded public subsidies to Gourmet Guru, a ten-year-old food-related company located at 660 Casanova Street, between Spofford and Randall Avenues, in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx.

Gourmet Guru specializes in the wholesale distribution of organic and specialty foods, development and manufacturing of branded food products, and marketing and brokerage services. The company began its operations in a 1,000-square-foot facility in Hunts Point, but was looking to expand and even considered moving its headquarters to New Jersey to save costs. (more…)

Alterations are designed to restrict big-box retail and hotel developments. On May 21, 2008, the City Planning Commission voted to approve, with modifications, the Department of City Planning’s proposal to rezone a 70-block area in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx. The area City Planning proposes to rezone is bounded by the Bruckner Expressway, Halleck Street, and Ryawa and Oak Point Avenues.

Consisting of 690 acres, the Hunts Point peninsula is characterized by a 22-block residential district that is surrounded by more industrial uses. The industrial area of Hunts Point is developed by such facilities as the Fulton Fish Market, the 329-acre Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, and a number of waste-treatment centers.

The proposed rezoning would create a buffer between the residential and industrial areas. The rezoning would also prohibit new wasterelated uses from entering the area, a measure intended to encourage the further growth of food industries in Hunts Point. (more…)