Food Emporiums Saved From Second Avenue Subway

The MTA has actually done something to make the community along the in-progress Second Avenue Subway happy. They have decided not to acquire two Food Emporiums for space and will instead design around them. The NY Sun reported after community opposition, a station entrance at 86th Street will be redesigned while a ventilation system at 63rd Street and Third will be repositioned.

Not only that, the MTA says it will save money from not procuring the space and other costs. Will wonders ever cease? Community Board 8 chairman David Liston said, "It was the source of tremendous relief for our neighborhood. There's no shortage here of high-end stores, but in terms of your basic supermarket with relatively affordable prices, we have very few." True, but we wonder if the MTA would be so accommodating with smaller stores and businesses. Anyway, the MTA will now put the entrance at 86th Street in front of the store, instead "replacing" it. Hmm, will it look something like this?

And Second Avenue Sagas points out that the MTA's project website reflects the change and that the MTA bought a building that housed a Chase and Duane Reade. Now, if the MTA buys a building that houses a Starbucks, it'll hit the trifecta.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on July 8, 2007 10:30 AM

Comments [rss]

steamroller

I don't know about recladding :-D, but the MTA is indeed widening the sidewalk where the station will be built, according to some news I've read recently.

dickdogfood

Unless the MTA plans on expanding the front sidewalk a good two or three times its current size and recladding 1660 2nd Ave. with red brick, the 86th St. station ain't gonna look nothing like that rendering.

David McCaffredy

I smell an investigation coming. My guess is one of the MTA executives owns a large stake in Food Emporium.

I'd love to get an explanation from the MTA since they've never had a problem with tearing down businesses in less-fortunate neighborhoods.

guest

Food Emporium is affordable? Ha ha ha! Whole Foods is cheaper!

guest

Pathmark is way better. Food Emporium is one of the worst grocery stores in terms of prices in the whole city.

guest

hurray for the white people grocery. let's see how the Met on 106th and 2nd fares.

and the Chase on the same corner, which is one of only about three banks in the entire area.

tblake

Hopefully, not too many homes/businesses will be disrupted by this myth before they decide once again that they don't have enough money to build it. I'm with Peter, although he's more hopeful than I that it will ever be built at all.

guest

Why can't the city pressure developers to incorporate nicer entrances to the subway when they redevelop large plots? I had never really noticed how the Adidas store on Houston at Broadway literally just built around the existing staircase on the northeast corner. Lame.

guest

Food Emporium does NOT have affordable prices. I wish they would bulldoze them--then someone else could swoop in and fill the void. Ideally a store whose produce & meat sections don't smell like a fresh dump. God, I hate Food Emporium.

guest

Food Emporium has relatively affordable prices? I thinks its in between Gristedes/Key Food and Whole Foods.

David McCaffredy

"There's no shortage here of high-end stores, but in terms of your basic supermarket with relatively affordable prices, we have very few." What? Isn't there a Gristedes every two blocks on the Upper East? Does it not qualify as a "basic supermarket" to Upper East Siders because it doesn't sell caviar?