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July 9, 2009

As Predicted, Whole Foods Bailing on Gowanus Site

Ten months ago we wrote a post saying that we had it on pretty good authority that Whole Foods was never going to happen in Gowanus. Yesterday, the blog Brooklyn the Borough reported—and the Brooklyn Paper later confirmed—that this was indeed the case. “Whole Foods does not have immediate plans to open in Brooklyn,” company spokeswoman Mara Engel Weleck said, suggesting to The Paper that the company would sell the land. What does this mean for the future of Gowanus?
Whole Foods Bows Out [Brooklyn the Borough]
Food Megastore Abandons Gowanus Site [Brooklyn Paper]
Curtains for Whole Foods? [Brownstoner]
More Delays and Changes at Whole Foods [Brownstoner]
Photo by moriah

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Comments

Whole foods is great for the produce selection, the fresh meat & fish. All of that can be had elsewhere. What they are not good for is peanut butter other than that oily organic crap. So, in essence, in a large city where there are many other options, who needs them.

They have cut back dramatically on expansion over the past year. The balance sheet just won't support it and I'm sure the lawyers at corporate washed their hands of litigious NYC, Park Slope in particular and this site specifically.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 9, 2009 9:03 AM

Even before the collapse of the economy and the imminent superfunding of the Gowanus, you had to be crazy to think that the Whole Foods was ever going to happen, and that includes the person at Whole Foods who was responsible for the idea.

Posted by: trokenmatt at July 9, 2009 9:14 AM

future of the Gowanus? the highway or the canal?
not much.
For the surrounding area....will stay empty industrial wasteland just like most of the anti-development people like it.

Posted by: Petebklyn at July 9, 2009 9:29 AM

good. Whole Paycheck is mad overrated.

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at July 9, 2009 9:34 AM

"For the surrounding area....will stay empty industrial wasteland just like most of the anti-development people like it."

I'm trying to understand something- You move to a area known for it's environmental issues and when thing don't do your way, you want to blame others for your delusion?

That sound you hear is called The implosion of the Mutant Asset Bubble..

The What

Someday this war is gonna end...

Posted by: Return of The What at July 9, 2009 9:36 AM

Damn. Now I wish I hadn't paid over a million bucks for a new construction condo on 4th Ave in anticipation of a huge runup in value when Whole Foods opens.

Oh wait, that wasn't me. Whew.

Posted by: lechacal at July 9, 2009 9:39 AM

who knew DIBS was peanut butter aficionado. what brand is your fave?
and no, What, didn't move to the area. And not expecting much. But I would prefer redeveloped so city can get money from real estate and improve economy of NYC.
Those of you who prefer growing desolation and deterioration--there are plenty of cities around USA that would be your wet-dream.

Posted by: Petebklyn at July 9, 2009 9:56 AM

To many of us, Whole Foods not building in Brooklyn is a loss but certainly not a surprise for this location. First of all, if you comparison shop you would see that their prices across the board are most often cheaper than the local markets like Key Food and Met and they offer fresher non polystyrene wrapped fruit and vegetables both organic and conventional as well as great meat and fish. Their own brand is fairly cheap and of great quality. Peanut butter? you can pick up Jif in most corner delis if you like that sort of thing.

Posted by: rukiddingme at July 9, 2009 9:59 AM

holy crap a reasonable statement from the what. To which I agree. Head explodededed.

Posted by: MAT at July 9, 2009 10:05 AM

Jiff or Skippy...late at night on Wonder Bread with a chocolate milk shake and potato chips. Yes, it can be found at any bodega. Always creamy, never crunchy. Never polluted with jelly. There's an old saying "Don't gild the lily."

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 9, 2009 10:06 AM

I think fairway, which is only a few blocks away, has got the area covered for high end supermarket shopping. Whole Foods is way too upscale for brooklyn anyway, where most people tend to be on the thriftier end of the wallet.

I love that mansion in the photo though. Were they really gonna demo it? Or is it still standing because it's landmarked?

Posted by: iz at July 9, 2009 10:06 AM

Fairway is good for some things but as far as fruit and veg go they are inconsistent - lots of rotten stuff around, and not cheaper. Whole Foods has them beat by a mile.

Posted by: rukiddingme at July 9, 2009 10:17 AM

Fairway is in Red Hook, hardly a "few blocks away."

Any way you cut it, this is not good news for the re-development of Gowanus. Yes, there are a ton of bars and hotels and arts spaces opening but this would have given the area a jump-start and cachet. I just hope they can get the Superfund cleanup done in the next decade (is 5 years too optimistic?) so growth can resume.

Guess the nimby's got what they wanted ... No big parking lot ... Just an empty toxic lot!

Posted by: Mr Joist at July 9, 2009 10:17 AM

Uh, Mr. Joist, gowanus and redhook are next to one another -- 8 minutes by car between the two addresses (see link below) is a few blocks in my book. 30 minutes walking - if you walk your supermarket groceries, in which case you better LIVE on Gowanus for Whole Foods to be convenient -- is not bad either.
Anyway, the point being, if you've got whole foods and fairway 8 minutes apart, Fairway's gonna win. Unless you're really rich and love those green bags.

Whole Foods has tasteless produce -- it might be consistent but only cause it's all bland. Fairway gets local stuff and if it does spoil it's because it's not loaded with preservatives (hence the flavor).

Bottom line is, if your neighborhood needs "cache" from the likes of a megastore like Whole Foods, that megastore probably won't want to be in your neighborhood. Whole Foods was a pioneer once, a long long time ago. Now they open a store at Houston and Bowery -- the trendiest, most overpriced part of downtown Manhattan -- and consider it "edgy".

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=360+3rd+Avenue,+Brooklyn,+ny&daddr=480+van+brunt+st,+brooklyn,+ny&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=40.675252,-74.016201&sspn=0.007974,0.012167&g=480+van+brunt+st,+brooklyn,+ny&ie=UTF8&z=14

Posted by: iz at July 9, 2009 10:30 AM

I say go to chinatown for vegetables. Much much cheaper.
Walk home and save the subway fare and on groceries.

Posted by: Petebklyn at July 9, 2009 10:33 AM

Toxic waste isn't like violence and bad schools. It simply can't be changed by gentrification. It doesn't matter how many yuppies move into new condos in Gowanus - they will still be living on top of a whole lot of toxic waste. Thus Gowanus will simply never gentrify. Gowanus is a perfectly fine place for some auto shops and live music venues. And that's how it will stay. The few people who were convinced that this is the new ground floor opportunity in NYC real estate... well, I'm sorry to be this blunt, but they are just fools. Do you really think that once the cleanup of the canal begins - and as a result public exposure of the environmental issues increases dramatically - this is going to have a *positive* effect on values in Gowanus? People aren't going to think "oh good, it's getting cleaned up, so it's safe to buy." They're going to think "holy shit! I don't want to live in the middle of a toxic waste dump!"

You can make money buying in areas where human displacement can by itself affect values. You cannot do so in areas where human displacement will have no effect on the underlying value drag.

Posted by: lechacal at July 9, 2009 10:34 AM

Whole Foods is the Wal-Mart of grocery stores.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at July 9, 2009 10:46 AM

I agree with jackal. Don't see how nimby is the cause of the demise here. It is hard to make the business plan work when cleaning up all that toxicity is part of the cost. I also didn't see that there was much real organized nimby activity. This one might not have made it even if the bubble kept inflating. Just because some people oppose a project and the project fails doesn't mean the opposition cuased the failure. Correlation is not causation.

Posted by: slopefarm at July 9, 2009 10:49 AM

Oh iz ... how you sway me with your Google Maps ... but wait ... when I change "by car" to "walking" your link is 38 minutes each way.

The Whole Foods was meant to service Park Slope and Carroll Gardens ... i.e. loaded people WALKING down from 7th Ave and such. That's like a 50 minute walk each way to Fairway.

Yes, they were counting on car traffic from other 'hoods but also heavy bike and foot traffic from Park Slope and Carroll Gardens. By your logic, no one should be shopping at Met Food (or whatever it's called) on 5th Ave. in Park Slope if Fairway is so close.

Anyway, pointless to debate a dead project.

If the canal ever gets cleaned up it will experience a transformation that will make it a desirable place to live, yuppies or no yuppies.

Posted by: Mr Joist at July 9, 2009 10:50 AM

I agree with you lechacal, but look at all the "fools" who've bought (and are still buying!) condos in williamsburg and greenpoint. People don't care that much about the toxic history (and sometimes present) of a neighborhood.

Posted by: iz at July 9, 2009 10:51 AM

Lechacal well said, well written..

The What

Someday this war is gonna end...

Posted by: Return of The What at July 9, 2009 10:52 AM

Slopefarm, I said the nimby's got what they wanted ... no Whole Foods, no big parking lot, no increased car traffic, NOT that they "caused the demise" of the project.

Don't you know that correlation is not causation?!

Anyway, I say Super Fund it and clean it up so real re-development can start again. The City and Toll Brothers are full of crap. The City had 80 years to "fix the sewage overflow problem" ... why all city money and promises now that the Feds are looking to clean it the right way?!

Posted by: Mr Joist at July 9, 2009 10:57 AM

NYT - On the Gowanus Canal, Fear of Superfund Stigma, Published: April 23, 2009

“It’s very common to have the division between those who see it as terrible and those who see it as an opportunity,” said Kris Wernstedt, an associate professor of urban affairs and planning at Virginia Tech’s Alexandria campus who specializes in Superfund and brownfield issues.

Studies have shown that property values decline after a Superfund listing but rebound after the cleanup, sometimes to far higher levels, he said.

Posted by: Mr Joist at July 9, 2009 11:03 AM

And how long does the average superfund cleanup take?????

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 9, 2009 11:08 AM

Joist, we could all be pushing daisies by the time that site is cleaned up.

Posted by: lechacal at July 9, 2009 11:08 AM

Lechacal: especially if we live anywhere near there -- nothing like toxic waste to speed your way to the grave.

Posted by: iz at July 9, 2009 11:11 AM

Great site for a water theme park or an International House of Pancakes...

Posted by: IMBY at July 9, 2009 11:13 AM

superfund designation/cleanup is not going to do anything about sewage runoff. And that is not reason for the superfund.
It is from old industries located next to or near canal.
Some parcels are damaged like whole foods site and some others. As well as sediment on bottom of canal.
Will be decades before that cleanup is done.
Will city solve sewage runoff by then? who knows.

Posted by: Petebklyn at July 9, 2009 11:15 AM

i'd take fairway over whole foods any day and even walk the 38 minutes to get there.

okay. maybe not walk to get there, but you get the idea...

Posted by: bodhi_brooklyn at July 9, 2009 11:30 AM

Whatever! Isn't there already a Whole Foods on Atlantic near Court?

For years I have been wondering what the deal is with the house in the photo. Is there a tax lien situation? Is the owner not selling? Even if the house is nothing but a shell at this point, it could still be rehabbed and turned some "luxury" condos, I mean closets.

Posted by: mopar at July 9, 2009 11:30 AM

I believe you can go as far back as my posts in '06 to see that I predicted this will never be a Whole Foods - and I also stick by my prediction that the land immediately around the canal will never (next 20yrs) be fit for residential development.
The area is/was a toxic dump - it can not be cleaned and made acceptable for anything approaching a reasonable cost. The area is perfect for light industry -

Posted by: fsrg at July 9, 2009 11:33 AM

that building was the first building made out of cement in brooklyn. Or so I was told.

Someone stuck that fake brick shit on it at some point. Its not a house and was an office of some kind.

Posted by: Santa at July 9, 2009 11:49 AM

daveinbedstuy "And how long does the average superfund cleanup take?????"

I can't believe I just read a GAO report on the Super Fund.

Answer: 10.6 years, on average.

www.gao.gov/archive/1998/rc98074t.pdf Page 6

Anyway, probably longer in Brooklyn but if the EPA/City had started when 4th Ave was re-zoned (~2003) we'd be at least 1/3 done by now. Gotta' start sometime.

I'm not anti-development but I agree it makes no sense to build yuppie pads on a toxic site. And not labeling it a Super Fund site doesn't make the bad stuff go away. EPA clean-up first, then yuppies and Whole Foods or whatever.

Posted by: Mr Joist at July 9, 2009 11:52 AM

Mopar: Never before seen a Trader Joe's mistaken for Whole Foods. Heh.
Santa: You are confusing the Pippin Building with The Old American Can Factory, one of the first pre-cast concrete buildings: http://www.nyc.com/link.aspx?site=http%3a%2f%2fwww.xoprojects.com%2fplaces_oac.html
Pippin Building: http://www.callalillie.com/archives/2004/06/pippin_on_third.html

Posted by: vinca at July 9, 2009 12:09 PM

Mopar, that building is landmarked. See
http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/press/06_27_06.1.pdf

Posted by: denton at July 9, 2009 12:13 PM

The irony of building a store that sells organic produce on top of a toxic waste site has always cracked me up.

But I have heard rumors that Pintchik, which owns a lot of buildings along north Flatbush, is dying to get Whole Foods as a tenant for the block where the Blockbuster is now.

Posted by: WonTon at July 9, 2009 12:46 PM

Mr Joist, I PUT the walking time in my response to you! (ok I shaved off 8 minutes but I'm a fast walker . . . )

I still say it was a stupid project REGARDLESS of gowanus.

Posted by: iz at July 9, 2009 1:19 PM

The quality of the product is beyond irrelevant. They wanted to build on a toxic dump. Didn't happen. Anyone who says a company like WF, whose CEO sent out fraudulent anonymous forum posts lying about a rival company in order to drive down its stock and then buy it, even has the grouchy neighbors remotely on its radar when building a new store, is saying more about their own views than the issue.

Posted by: jland at July 9, 2009 2:04 PM

> The irony of building a store that sells organic produce on top of a
> toxic waste site has always cracked me up.

Amen, WonTon. The very notion broke the needle on my Irony Meter.

Posted by: DitmasSnark at July 9, 2009 2:37 PM

It's landmarked!? The LPC better get crackin' on those 25-year-old violations.

Vinca, I know there's a Trader Joe's on Court. I'm thinking of the big grocery store on Atlantic. It's sumpin' fancy.

Also, all of Greenpoint is a toxic dump. Still gentrifrying.

Posted by: mopar at July 9, 2009 3:36 PM

I believe that building (hopefully it is indeed landmarked and NOT slated for demo!) was originally the office bldg of Edwin Litchfield, who built Litchfield Villa in what then became Prospect Park; he could look all the way down the slope from his home to his office, I seem to recall reading. It would be a helluva shame to lose that little gem.

Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at July 9, 2009 4:50 PM

Brenda, I read somewhere it's also one of the very first all concrete buildings constructed in the 19th century. A bit of an ugly duckling and now marooned on that bleak corner, but worth saving I agree.

Posted by: grand army at July 9, 2009 6:29 PM

The Brooklyn Paper article says the reason WholeFoods backed is because of a "toxic plume" with an "epicenter" at 175 Third Street. Propertyshark does not have any environmental damages for that address or nearby. Does anyone have a link to info about this?

Posted by: FixtheCanal at July 9, 2009 6:50 PM

This is sad. WF would've been a perfect addition to the neighborhood.

Posted by: Taksa at July 10, 2009 8:23 AM

This is sad. WF would've been a perfect addition to the neighborhood.

Posted by: Taksa at July 10, 2009 8:23 AM