Program would create floor area bonus and other incentives in effort to increase number of grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods. On August 5, 2009, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on the City’s proposed Food Retail Expansion to Support Health (FRESH) program. The program, a joint effort by the Department of City Planning and the City’s Economic Development Corporation, is a response to a City-sponsored study from 2008 finding that low- and moderate-income neighborhoods had been underserved by grocery stores offering a full range of products, including fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables. As part of the program, Planning proposed a text amendment that would create zoning incentives to promote the creation of full-line grocery stores in these neighborhoods.

Among the incentives, mixed-use buildings would receive one square foot of additional residential floor area for every square foot used to provide a FRESH food store, up to a maximum of 20,000 sq.ft. To accommodate the extra floor area, the Commission would be authorized to increase the building’s maximum height by 15 feet. The proposed amendment would reduce the parking requirements for grocery stores and also allow as-of-right grocery stores up to 30,000 sq.ft. in M1 zoning districts, eliminating the need for a special permit. Under the program, FRESH food stores would be eligible for financial incentives from the City’s Industrial Development Agency, including breaks on real estate and sales taxes. (read more…)