Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Queens to lose 2,000 jobs to the Bronx


From GlobeSt:

After considering a move to New Jersey, Fresh Direct will be establishing its new headquarters and operations center in the Bronx. The fresh food Internet grocer will invest $112.6 million in a new 500,000-square-foot facility on the 16-acre Harlem River Yards site, retaining nearly 2,000 existing jobs and creating almost 1,000 new jobs, the city announced Tuesday morning.

The construction of the new facility will also result in the creation of approximately 684 construction jobs in the Bronx and an overall economic impact to the city of nearly $255 million. It is expected to open in 2015.

“Making sure that companies like Fresh Direct can grown and invest in New York City is a key part of our strategy to rebuild and diversify our economy,” says Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in a statement following the deal. “A thousand new jobs at the Harlem River Yards is great news for the Bronx and a welcome boost to our city’s economy.”

Fresh Direct—founded in 1999 and currently based at 23-30 Borden Ave. in Long Island City, Queens—purchases produce, meat and dairy from over 60 New York State-based farms and serves a customer base of over 100,000 people. Its new headquarters will expand its service area to regions surrounding New York City, as well as New Jersey, Connecticut and Philadelphia.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

With our borough presidents who are known for serving developers instead of its constituents...it will only be a short matter of time and dim wit Marshal will invite a firm like TDC to build and build and build upon the vacated site to the max!

Doesn't over-development create jobs....so the usual mantra goes?

Of course mega bucks from China will flow into various Democratic clubhouse candidates in exchange.

Anonymous said...

More illegals available in the Bronx to hire! At least they did not move to Elizabeth NJ!

Anonymous said...

Hi, many are attending Thursday 10 am NYCIDA hearing and many are interested and cannot. We can ALL send an email to the

New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman

By visiting here:

http://www.ag.ny.gov/online_forms/email_ag.jsp

Cut and paste, or add your own, or both!

“I am very troubled at the recent announcement by the Governor and other elected officials that tax benefits and other corporate subsidies are being offered to Fresh Direct to relocate to the waterfront of the South Bronx.  I already had many concerns with this proposal, including the impact of so many truck trips in an area with the highest rate of asthma in the Nation, but the totally undemocratic disrespect for the public approval process and the people of the City and the State prompts me to write to you.

Please investigate the lease between the NYS Department of Transportation and the Harlem River Rail Yards that a predecessor to you signed during the previous Cuomo Administration.  We need to ensure that State land is being properly utilized and all payments are being made to the State and the public benefits of a waterfront be enjoyed by Bronx residents.  This needs to happen before Fresh Direct, or any other entity can be considered for tax breaks and giveaways and move to our public land.  Thank you in advance for your written response.”

Pass this on!

Anonymous said...

Is Fresh Direct still a client of The Parkside Group?

Anonymous said...

So basically the company threatened to walk if it didn't get a wad of cash, and the city caved and gave them a wad of cash to move all their trucks to a neighborhood that already has the highest asthma rate in the city.

Anonymous said...

The Bronx can have these polluting bastards. I hope Bloomturd makes sure that they remove that horrible animation billboard that pollutes the senses for miles.

Anonymous said...

So instead of hiring the day laborers from Roosevelt Ave, the will hire the day laborers from Tremont Ave. Wow, what a disaster for Queens!

Anonymous said...

They never would have moved to NJ as they would have lost loads of money on tolls. This is corporate welfare at it's worst.

They will pollute in BX just as much as they do here. Their LIC spot has a rail siding behind it they could take deliveries from - but instead they trucked it all in and retrucked it all out. They'll do the same in the bronx no doubt.

Now Bloombag can build more high rises in LIC where FD is currently located, and gentrify that corner of the neighborhood as well.

Anonymous said...

OK by me. The Bronx is hurting and that means New York as a whole is hurting. If it helps them, fine. More room in LIC now for condos and upscale development.

Anonymous said...

$10 an hour dogshit jobs. That is the real problem.

Anonymous said...

"The Bronx can have these polluting bastards."

This is exactly why most manufacturing has gone to the far east.

But if you think that it's good they moved, remember the pollution from China eventually lands in NYC.

Anonymous said...

$127 million in taxpayer-paid subsidies for 2,000 permanent jobs.

That's $63,500 per job.

Anonymous said...

"This is exactly why most manufacturing has gone to the far east.'

Manufacturing? They're an effen food delivery service. Maybe if people got off their fat lazy asses and actually shopped in a store they would lose some weight and we'd have less unnecessary truck traffic.

"But if you think that it's good they moved, remember the pollution from China eventually lands in NYC."

Schmuck.

Anonymous said...

They are not just a food delivery service. They make a lot of their food. They have a bakery and sell pre-made meals.

Anonymous said...

They are not just a food delivery service. They make a lot of their food. They have a bakery and sell pre-made meals.

Only manhattanites eat this expensive dribble. This company is run on venture capital that eventually will end when it cannot make a profit. They need to get all the parts working well to do so and others are eyeballing how they can compete for the same business. The trick here is the delivery aspect which is an albatross around this operation. What's really scary is I hear they utilize illegals without valid drivers licenses to drive and save on salaries.

Anonymous said...

They'll probably bulldoze the are to make way for more condos.

Anonymous said...

Which Queens councilperson let this one slip. No mention here!

Anonymous said...

I foresee them shutting down in a year or so when they burn through all the cash or they go through another INS episode. There are too many competing models that are better financed or models that are much less costly with higher quality foods.