UES Demands Whole Foods, Bronx Pols Battle Armory Market

While the fate of a proposed Whole Foods in Gowanus Brooklyn remains an open question, a group of Upper East Siders are hankering for their piece of the Whole. NYC the Blog spotted this desperate entreaty on Lexington Ave between 86th and 87th Street. Did you know it's tough out there on the mean streets of the UES? It's true; the sign says so: "I'm sick of eating out! We need to take action! They have taken away many of our amenities, making it hard to live in this area! We should have a say in what stores are welcome in our neighborhood." The community urgently needs a tiny violin shop, for one thing. According to an article in Crain's last year, a Whole Foods on 57th and Second Ave is expected to be completed by 2012, so that's a start. Hang in there Upper East Siders!

Meanwhile, up in the Bronx, there will be a public hearing tonight on a controversial plan by The Related Cos. to turn the nine-story Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping mall. Eight members of the City Council's Bronx delegation are demanding changes to the current proposal because it includes a supermarket, and with 45 markets within a 2-mile radius, many are worried that the giant, 60,000-square-foot armory market would drive them out of business.

And other community members are fighting the plan until the developer agrees to an enforceable Community Benefits Agreement, which would require a minimum wage of $10 for future employees, a community center in the armory, and "affordable recreation" for youths. According to the Daily News, the hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight in the Lovinger Theater on the campus of Lehman College, 250 Bedford Park Blvd. West.