Demo Starts at Bay Ridge's Former Century 21 Site for New Retail Complex

by Olivia Seaman, Brooklyn Paper

After years of uncertainty surrounding the shuttered Century 21 properties in Bay Ridge, two separate redevelopment projects are now moving forward on opposite sides of the street.

According to Council Member Justin Brannan, the former Century 21 holdings were sold separately, not in one large chunk. The parcel on 86th Street between 4th and 5th avenues was sold to developers MCB Real Estate and Osrisis Ventures. That site is slated to become a large retail complex called Century Marketplace, a plan first reported by Brooklyn Paper following the $47 million sale of the property and later confirmed when demolition permits were filed. The development group plans to featuring smaller shops and a potential national grocery anchor.

Demolition has already begun at the 86th Street property.

Meanwhile, the neighboring 87th Street property — including its parking lot — was recently acquired by the Abed family for $28 million and is expected to become home to a SuperFresh supermarket.

In a Facebook post last week responding to community questions — and expressing concern over the addition of a supermarket that already exists in the neighborhood and could compete with plans to bring a national grocery anchor to the former 86th Street site — Brannan acknowledged frustration over the long delay since the iconic discount retailer closed its 86th Street location.

“Not so fun fact: It has now been five YEARS since Century 21 closed their doors and forgot all about us,” he wrote. “But they finally released us and sold all of their properties to buyers who are motivated!”

“The $100 million project that aims to transform the former Century 21 site on 86th Street into a 95,000-square-foot retail complex anchored by a grocery store is still a thing,” Brannan wrote in a follow-up comment. “We’ll have more news on that soon.”

Brannan stressed repeatedly that the two developments should not be conflated, noting confusion among residents who have watched both sites sit vacant for years.

“To clarify, there are two separate development projects happening here,” he wrote. “Once more for the folks in the back: There are two different developers here, two different developments — 87th Street and 86th Street. They were sold separately and have nothing to do with each other.”

Brannan said updates on new tenants will be shared once lease agreements are finalized.

“We hope to share more updates on the separate 86th Street properties very soon once the ink is dried on the leases for the new tenants,” he wrote.

Century 21’s closure in 2020 left a significant retail void along one of the Bay Ridge’s busiest commercial corridors. In the five years since, multiple redevelopment projects have been planned — and subsequently scrapped. The Gindi family, who owned Century 21, initially planned to maintain ownership of the land and transform all of it into an “urban retail landscape.” That project was abandoned in 2024.

While progress has been slow, the recent demolition activity and confirmed grocery plans mark the most tangible movement residents have seen in years.

Josephine Beckmann, district manager of Community Board 10, said locals have been confused about plans for the site.

“We’ve gotten a few calls about the project, and we’ve clarified the confusion for anyone who reaches out to us,” she said. “I think everyone is delighted that there will be — at long last — future projects developed very soon,” Beckmann continued.

For now, Brannan and Beckmann urged patience and clarity as both projects proceed on their own timelines. At this time, no new businesses have been filed with the NYC Department of Business.

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.

Related Stories

• Bay Ridge’s Century 21 Building to Be Razed for New Retail Complex
• Bay Ridge’s Century 21 Site Sells, Will Become ‘Century Marketplace’
• Redevelopment Plans for Bay Ridge’s Iconic Century 21 Store Add Housing to Mix

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