Bronx Residents Force a Re-vote on Subsidies to FreshDirect

Broken Promises: 10 brand new DIESEL FreshDirect trucks awaiting delivery to the company which were discovered last December. The company pledged to change to electric but that still will not mitigate the traffic situation caused by all of their trucks.

It’s been a little over 3 years since Bronx residents united against corporate welfare for FreshDirect to come into the Harlem River Yards and bring thousands of truck trips through our neighborhoods — an area that already suffers from some of the highest rates of asthma in the nation.

This past December, FreshDirect, along with our Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr and other elected officials who do not represent our districts, attended a cowardly secret ground-breaking ceremony that was protested by hundreds on that very cold day.

To add insult to injury to a community that is often discriminated against and used a dumping ground for the city, the construction site sits right on a flood plain and the newly designated areas post Superstorm Sandy, and a Native American burial site.

Join Us
for the Empire State Development RE-VOTE
on $10 Million in FreshDirect Subsidies
Thursday, February 19, 9:30 am
633 Third Avenue
37th Fl Conf Room
RSVP: CLICK HERE and call 212-803-3794

Last August, the New York Empire State Development Board (ESD) gave preliminary approval to a $10 million subsidy being sought by FreshDirect to relocate to the South Bronx. Following public outcry and a statutory requirement that ESD give primary consideration to the needs and desires of the local community, a public hearing took place in Mott Haven three months later in November. At that time, upwards of 200 Mott Haven-Port Morris residents, physicians, political leaders, religious leaders, labor leaders, business owners and nonprofit organizations provided testimony (in person and electronically) against the subsidies. FreshDirect bused in nearly 100 of its employees (paid $7/hr to be there) to manufacture support, but not one single local resident testified in favor of the project. The ESD Board will now re-vote.

If you missed the hearing last November, highlights are hyperlinked below:

CLICK HERE for updates on our community’s fight against FreshDirect.

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Ed García Conde

Ed García Conde is a life-long Bronxite who spends his time documenting the people, places, and things that make the borough a special place in the hopes of dispelling the negative stereotypes associated with The Bronx. His writings are often cited by mainstream media and is often consulted for his expertise on the borough's rich history.