In one of the last acts of his outgoing administration, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, along with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President and CEO Andrew Kimball, and the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Cooperative Association, recently announced an agreement to redevelop of the Hunts Point Produce Market.
Located in the Bronx, Hunts Point is the destination of many freight shipments bound for New York City grocery stores, restaurants and institutions. It’s estimated that between 13,000 and 18,000 trucks arrive and depart Hunts Point each day, making it the busiest food distribution center in the U.S.
Officials said the project will optimize site-wide access and traffic circulation to alleviate congestion and reduce truck idling, and minimize multi-modal conflicts between vehicular, truck, rail, and pedestrian traffic.
Backed by $405 million in city, state, federal funding, and an anticipated federal loan, the project will create a new state-of-the-art, intermodal food distribution facility, and improve air quality for nearly 13,000 Bronx residents who live on the Hunts Point Peninsula. It's expected to generate more than 2,000 new construction jobs, as well as preserve the good-paying jobs already at the market.
Following a competitive procurement process announced in March, the NYCEDC conditionally selected Aurora-Primus — a joint venture design-build firm with Aurora Contractors, LLC and Primus Builders, Inc. as principal entities — to execute the project. Over the next six months, the parties will work together to advance the project design and make sure the operational needs of the Hunts Point Produce Cooperative can be met at a financially sustainable cost, according to a statement from the economic development agency.
Construction is expected to begin in the later part of this year. Once constructed by NYCEDC, the new facility will be leased by the Hunts Point Produce Cooperative.
“New York state is proud to invest $130 million in the complete transformation of the Hunts Point Produce Market facility that feeds millions of New Yorkers every day,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “This redevelopment will deliver cleaner air and better health outcomes for Bronx families, create thousands of good-paying construction jobs, and build a first-of-its-kind all-electric food distribution hub that sets the standard for sustainable infrastructure nationwide.”
The economic development agency said the goals for the project include:
- Deliver a state-of-the-art, intermodal food distribution facility
- Enhance the long‐term viability of the produce businesses by meeting market needs
- Expand refrigerated warehouse space
- Eliminate stationary diesel refrigerated trailers, which currently serve as additional cold storage
- Increase rail efficiency and encourage rail usage
- Maximize energy efficiency and reduce operating costs
- Reduce waste and waste management expenses
- Prioritize safety and security of the facility
- Support quality jobs in the Bronx
The Hunts Point Produce Cooperative, which consists of about 26 businesses, sources more than 2.5 billion pounds of produce each year; the cooperative then distributes that produce across New York City and beyond.
The current market employs thousands of New Yorkers, supplies 25 percent of the city’s fresh produce, and occupies more than 100 acres in Hunts Point. It consists of four primary warehouse structures, two adjunct warehouses, and various administrative and maintenance structures all housing approximately 26 merchants.
The businesses range from small firms with three employees to large firms with about 400 employees.
