You know, what’s the biggest story ever to break? Yes, Wegmans will be visiting the Brooklyn Navy Yard. At least, that’s how one tweeter, among many, is interpreting the announcement that the beloved supermarket company, with its headquarters in Rochester, NY, would be opening a 74,000-square-foot shop there:
Okay, so most of the Twitter appreciation is coming from locals in Williamsburg, Fort Greene, and Clinton Hill who are thrilled to have a real supermarket in their neighbourhoods that are on the verge of becoming food deserts. The greater goal, which is to revive the 300-acre industrial complex along the East River that was abandoned in the 1960s, doesn’t appear to concern them as much.
For years, politicians have been baffled by how to revitalise the abandoned site, which is mostly falling apart while housing a film studio, light industry, and a number of stunning but dilapidated Civil War-era structures. (Those who support historic preservation and who stand to lose certain buildings due to the redevelopment plan are the least excited.)
Numerous studies support the idea that a supermarket may herald this kind of reinvention. According to the National Institutes of Health, grocery stores “create jobs for local residents, capture dollars currently being spent outside of the community, recycle money in the local economy, and increase local sales tax revenue.” Unfortunately, a lot of chains have moved to the suburbs from the inner cities, and without them, it “costs communities reduced job opportunities, fewer multiplier effects and entrepreneurship opportunities,” per a search published in the Economic Development Quarterly.
And Super Wegmans could be the right person for this. It is renowned for its diversity, affordability, and friendly, encouraging work atmosphere. It was named America’s best grocery store by Consumer Reports and the Food Network, and one of the top 10 employers by Forbes. Wegmans has committed to generating 200 full-time positions in addition to 600 overall jobs.
The board of directors of the military yard has legitimate expectations that Wegmans will assist in luring additional companies. “Big grocery stores and supermarkets can act as high volume ‘anchors,’ drawing in other retail stores that sell complementary goods and services by increasing foot traffic,” according to the NIH. Grocers are becoming more and more common in mixed-use developments, but according to the Urban Land Institute, they’re both excited about and perplexed by the urban resurgence. After all, how do you squeeze the suburban paradigm of a vast shop flanked by a sea of parking lots into a constrained urban space?
Wegmans won’t be nearly as confused now that parking is part of the plan. However, we won’t know if Wegmans will live up to the expectation that if it constructs it, the money, the people, and the businesses will come until 2017, which is when the project is supposed to open. Meanwhile, #wegmansbrooklyn is making waves on Twitter.
