After 8 Years, Brooklyn's First Whole Foods is Finally a Go!
The Board of Standards and Appeals voted unanimously moments ago to grant Whole Foods Market a variance to build its long-planned supermarket in Gowanus on 3rd Street and 3rd Avenue. The store has been in the works for 8 years, and the variance request represented the company’s last regulatory hurdle to building its first supermarket…
The Board of Standards and Appeals voted unanimously moments ago to grant Whole Foods Market a variance to build its long-planned supermarket in Gowanus on 3rd Street and 3rd Avenue. The store has been in the works for 8 years, and the variance request represented the company’s last regulatory hurdle to building its first supermarket in Brooklyn. The BSA’s decision follows years of will-they-or-won’t-they uncertainty about Whole Foods’ designs on the formerly industrial property, which the company cleaned and remediated. In recent months there has been some opposition to the project from people who live and work nearby on the grounds that the supermarket might drive small businesses out of the area. The store will be 56,000 square feet and we’re guessing the grocer is looking to start building soon! When asked how soon Whole Foods would get shovels in the ground, a rep said, “as soon as possible.”
I agree with James_s 100% relax folks I think the only valid negative here is a rise in traffic however most organic yuppies walk or ride bikes so I think you’ll life through it!!
great so we’ll have a bunch overpriced factory farmed organic produce from California, shipped to us in big refrigerated trucks…yay!
Most of the Whole Foods in Manhattan have residential above (as does Red Hook Fairway)- I would say the simple and easiest reason for this location is that the area is not zoned for residential (and getting to be so would require far different and more expensive brownfield cleanup and testing, not to mention even more opposition)
“”the opposition” is actually pro-development, and objects to the form and type of development.”
– thats what EVERY Nimby group says
“Think about it: if you applied an R6A designation to the site, it would represent over half a million buildable square feet of residential development.”
Yeah ok 66 – WF spent 8 years and tens of millions of dollars on this project as some sort of conspiracy to turn the lot residential??? Please can I smoke, what you are smoking?
Can’t wait for a 250-car parking lot, too! And more traffic on 3rd Avenue that’s never been considered in conjunction with Barclays Center traffic.
Glad to see that pollution still has a place on the Gowanus.
what? what? what?
what? what? what?
“Wonder if the ‘opposition’ can find some lawyers to file some frivolous delay suits – that is the usual NIMBY move at this juncture”
don’t give those lunatics any ideas.
but as far as the cleaning, wasn’t that a requirement before they could do anything? or maybe just a gesture of good faith? or maybe it was a strategy of some sort. how could the community/bsa say no to those guys after spending that kind of money and time. who knows.
“Wonder if the ‘opposition’ can find some lawyers to file some frivolous delay suits – that is the usual NIMBY move at this juncture”
don’t give those lunatics any ideas.
but as far as the cleaning, wasn’t that a requirement before they could do anything? or maybe just a gesture of good faith? or maybe it was a strategy of some sort. how could the community/bsa say no to those guys after spending that kind of money and time. who knows.