The Boogie Down comes out ahead–again!–in the latest business battle with New Jersey, with the news that grocery delivery company Fresh Direct will be relocating to the Bronx from their current headquarters in Queens.
The company had been contemplating lucrative tax deals from both New York City and New Jersey, but will build its new site in the south Bronx’s Harlem River Yards after accepting $130 in grants, tax breaks and tax credits from Gov. Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., according to the Daily News.
Last June, New Jersey tried to lure the Hunts Point Produce Market over the river from its long time Bronx location, but the Market ultimately opted to renew its lease and stay put, at least for the time being.
The News reports that the move will keep the Fresh Direct’s 2,000 current jobs in New York, and will also add 1,000 new jobs by 2020. Its planned 500,000-square-foot new warehouse is estimated to open by 2015.
The article notes that some good-government groups are criticizing the city’s generous tax breaks offerings, citing the fact that Fresh Direct pays 38% of its workers less than $25,000 a year.
In the living wage bill compromise struck last month between City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and supporters of the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act, Fresh Direct would be exempt from the mandate required of other publicly subsidized companies should the bill get passed–that direct workers get paid $1 0 an hour with benefits, or $11.50 an hour without.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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Fresh Direct and Elected Officials Announce Move BEFORE Public Hearings
Over $100 million in corporate subsidies in the balance
Can you attend this hearing? There will be many people from the Bronx community here…
on Thursday, February 9, 2012 10:00 A.M.
110 William Street, 4th Floor, New York, New York ….
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Fresh Direct, the truck delivery based grocery corporation is proposing to MAYBE make use of our South Bronx waterfront. While they negotiate the most lucrative corporate subsides from New Jersey or Queens first, squeezing the NYCEDC for more of our tax money and free land, pitting one locale against another.
Issues:
The 99 year lease to the Galesi Group’s Harlem River Rail Yards Venture from Andrew Cuomo’s father, isn’t that obscene? (Fresh Direct would be a mere subleasee)
Harlem River Rail Yards is stopping the South Bronx Greenway to Randall’s Island, isn’t that unfair?
Do we really want thousands of truck traffic trips a week in the highest rate of asthma community in the Nation, isn’t that super unhealthy?
Are there any union living wage guarantees, or local hiring commitments in writing, isn’t that fair?
What do WE want to do with our waterfront, why is it always polluting industries moving here, isn’t that crazy?
*** The entire South Bronx Waterfront is owned by US, the PUBLIC through our agency the NYS Department of Transportation. We need to re-examine the lease the the “Harlem River Rail Yards” a subsidiary of the Galesi Group. They are in default. Who has ever checked on it?
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We need you to attend this hearing:
on Thursday, February 9, 2012 10:00 A.M.
110 William Street, 4th Floor, New York, New York ….
Just say no! Demand an audit of the lease. Demand a default action on the lease to our public waterfront so we can begin a community led planning and zoning process for our public land!