Promoting smart, fair food policy for New York
Info Sheet: Pathmark 125th Street
Issue The building that currently houses a 59,904 square-foot Pathmark, located at 125th Street and Lexington Avenue in East Harlem, was recently purchased by real estate developer Extell. It is unclear whether the developer will be required to include food retail in the new building and what effects of Pathmark’s closure might have on the community.
Summary While the development of the Pathmark at 125th street was a hard fought battle, over time it has become an important point of access to affordable food for residents of East Harlem and greater Manhattan and the Bronx. At this point it is unclear whether Extell will be required to include food retail in the new development, but in a previous purchase of a Pathmark site in a low-income neighborhood, the store was closed and the future plans for food-retail in the area remain uncertain. There are lessons to be learned from the experiences of community organizers on the Lower East Side and opportunities for the East Harlem community to organize and make a plan to mediate the effects of this transaction.
The Sale In mid April 2014, the 68,676 square-foot property, owned by The East Harlem Abyssinian Triangle (51%) and the city (49%)i and under a long-term lease with Pathmark, was purchased by Extell Development for $39 million. The address is 142-96 East 125th Street and the building includes 300,000 square-feet of residential air rights and a total of 450,000 total buildable square feet with inclusionary housing bonuses. The East Harlem Abyssinian Triangle Limited Partnership procured the buyer, and Ariel Property Advisors (Victor Sozio, Shimon Shkury and Michael Tortorici) represented the seller.ii Local residents have already expressed concern that the developers, with a reputation for building over-the-top luxury buildings, will not build affordable housing units or make the new building a resource for the community.iii
History of Pathmark 125th The East Harlem Abyssinian Triangle is a partnership between Butts’ Abyssinian Development Corporation and a nonprofit charged with building low-income housing, Community Association of the East Harlem Triangle.iv Pathmark was developed by Abyssinian after years of opposition from local grocers concerned with going out of business and concerns about asthma and truck
New York City Food Policy Center at Hunter College ! 2180 Third Avenue New York, NY 10035 212-396-7744 ! www.nycfoodpolicy.org traffic, the store opened in April of 1999. Lauded later that year as a success and spurring commercial development, this was the first full service supermarket in Harlem in three decades, drawing some 30,000 shoppers per week.v
Pathmark Lower East Side The Pathmark at 227 Cherry Street opened in 1983 as part of a neighborhood urban renewal project.vi In the fall of 2012 it was announced that the store would close to make way for the development of a large residential building.vii,viii Two Bridges Neighborhood Council, an important Lower East Side community organization, met with Pathmark executives during this time, but despite these efforts, community outrage, rallies and the support of local elected officials, the site closed on December 21, 2012. In spring 2013, Extell Development bought the property and Pathmark’s lease with plans to build a 60+ story residential building.
Extell has agreed to the inclusion of a grocery store in the new development after meetings with elected officials (though Two Bridges maintains this was a forgone conclusion)ix but there are concerns that this store will not be affordable to community residents.x In the meantime, the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council has developed a grocery guide listing the approximately 80 small-grocers, bodegas and local stores where residents can purchase food. This guide is, according to Victor Papa, Two Bridges president, “in some ways, (the grocery guide is about) declaring our independence from large supermarkets… It’s meant to introduce Two Bridges residents to local stores, which are rich resources (in the community).” xi Just recently in April 2014, demolition began on the site. xii East Harlem can learn a great deal from the experiences of community groups, local officials and shoppers and there are opportunities for our community to anticipate what may happen to Pathmark 125th Street.
Further Reading and References
The Lo-Down, Lower East Side Community Blog Elected Officials: Barnett Agrees to Grocery Store on Former Pathmark Site (Updated) http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2013/04/elected-officials-barnett-agrees-to-grocery- store-on-former-pathmark-site.html
Two Bridges Grocery Guide Released; Extell Tower Could Rise Above 70 Stories http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2013/12/two-bridges-grocery-guide-released-extell- tower-could-rise-above-70-stories.html
Extell Begins Demolition of Cherry Street Pathmark Building http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2014/04/extell-begins-demolition-of-cherry-street- pathmark-building.html
Elected Officials, Residents Rally at Pathmark Site http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2012/10/elected-officials-residents-rally-at-pathmark- site.html
New York City Food Policy Center at Hunter College ! 2180 Third Avenue New York, NY 10035 212-396-7744 ! www.nycfoodpolicy.org
The New York Times Harlem's Pathmark Anchors a Commercial Revival on 125th Street http://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/13/nyregion/harlem-s-pathmark-anchors-a-commercial- revival-on-125th-street.html
Financial Woes Cloud Pathmark’s Future in Poor Areas http://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/18/nyregion/financial-woes-cloud-pathmark-s-future-in- poor-areas.html
City Data http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/2091249-pathmark-125th-street- east-harlem-location.html
The Real Deal Exell Makes Deal for Harlem Pathmark Official http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/04/16/extell-makes-deal-for-harlem-pathmark-official/
Barnett’s Big Buildout http://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/barnetts-big-buildout/
NY In Focus A void on the Lower East Side after a Pathmark closes http://nycinfocus.org/2013/10/a-void-on-the-lower-east-side-after-a-pathmark-closes/
References i http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/2091249-pathmark-125th-street-east- harlem-location.html#ixzz34XBWPW5B ii http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/04/16/extell-makes-deal-for-harlem-pathmark- official/ iii http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/2091249-pathmark-125th-street-east- harlem-location.html iv http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/2091249-pathmark-125th-street-east- harlem-location.html#ixzz34XBWPW5B v http://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/13/nyregion/harlem-s-pathmark-anchors-a- commercial-revival-on-125th-street.html vi http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2013/12/two-bridges-grocery-guide-released- extell-tower-could-rise-above-70-stories.html vii http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2012/10/elected-officials-residents-rally-at- pathmark-site.html viii http://nycinfocus.org/2013/10/a-void-on-the-lower-east-side-after-a-pathmark- closes/ ix http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2013/04/elected-officials-barnett-agrees-to- grocery-store-on-former-pathmark-site.html x http://nycinfocus.org/2013/10/a-void-on-the-lower-east-side-after-a-pathmark-closes/
New York City Food Policy Center at Hunter College ! 2180 Third Avenue New York, NY 10035 212-396-7744 ! www.nycfoodpolicy.org xi http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2013/12/two-bridges-grocery-guide-released- extell-tower-could-rise-above-70-stories.html xii http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2014/04/extell-begins-demolition-of-cherry- street-pathmark-building.html
New York City Food Policy Center at Hunter College ! 2180 Third Avenue New York, NY 10035 212-396-7744 ! www.nycfoodpolicy.org