Construction begins on $39 million New York Regional Food Hub
NEW YORK — Construction has started on the 60,000-square-foot New York State Regional Food Hub in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx.
The $39 million project cold-storage facility project on a 135,000-square-foot lot will support local farmers and underserved New Yorkers, according to a news release.
It’s estimated to take 18 months from groundbreaking to ribbon cutting.
The publicly funded project by the state and city will expand GrowNYC’s wholesale distribution infrastructure that makes local foods accessible to underserved New Yorkers through wholesale buyers, including institutions and restaurants, and through nonprofit group partnerships.
The new food hub will work with small- and mid-sized farms, providing more access to New York City’s wholesale marketplace.
The processing facility will also assist upstate producers and processors in targeting institutional and private sector procurement opportunities.
“The state-of-the-art Hub will open up new markets for upstate farmers, put more fresh food on the tables of underserved New Yorkers and create good-paying jobs,” Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul said in the release. “This is how we build more equitable, healthier and sustainable communities for the post-pandemic future.”
After the COVID-19 pandemic began, the number of New York City residents who were food insecure rose from 1.4 million to about 2 million people, according to the release.
In 2020, GrowNYC’s wholesale division distributed 5.4 million pounds of fresh produce, 2.9 million of which was through its Emergency Fresh Food program implemented in March 2020 to provide no-cost emergency fresh food to communities throughout New York City hardest hit by the coronavirus.
The Hub will allow GrowNYC to increase food distribution to 20 million pounds.
“With this facility in the South Bronx, the most vulnerable New Yorkers in the borough will have access to the freshest and healthiest food items via GrowNYC’s partners in the farming industry,” Bronx 17th District Council Member Rafael Salamanca said in the release.
The project received major funding from the State of New York, Empire State Development, the New York City Economic Development Corp., the New York City Council, Office of the Bronx Borough President, New Markets Tax Credit Financing from NYC Neighborhood Capital Corp. and J.P Morgan Chase Community Development Banking.
More funding came from the Federal Economic Development Administration, Bank of America Foundation and Green Mountain Energy, and bridge financing came from Farm Credit East, Low Income Investment Fund and Enterprise Community Partners.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Lt. Gov.Kathy Hochul, Empire State Development acting president and CEO Eric Gertler, state Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard A. Ball, city Economic Development Corporation acting president Rachel Loeb, Congressman Ritchie Torres, borough president Ruben Diaz Jr. and council member Rafael Salamanca joined GrowNYC to celebrate this project’s groundbreaking.
The New York State-New York City Regional Food Hubs Task Force, convened at the direction of the governor, was announced at the state’s first Upstate-Downstate Summit in December 2014.
The Task Force was charged with developing a roadmap to build a Regional Food Hub System to:
- Enhance the connection between upstate food producers and the downstate market;
- Increase access to fresh food for underserved populations;
- Boost in-state food production and consumption; and
- Create new job opportunities in the growing sector of food manufacturing.
“The Hub’s unique service model not only demonstrates that New York’s diverse economy includes farming but also enhances business opportunity for upstate farmers to provide fresh food and produce options for their downstate neighbors,” Empire State Development acting commissioner Eric Gertler said in the release.
