Public Hearing to Stop Cuomo From Giving FreshDirect $10 Million To Cause Asthma in the Bronx Mon, Nov 17th, 5-9 pm;
4:30 pm Press Conference
Hostos Community College, Gymnasium
450 Grand Concourse, C Building
If link doesn’t work, cut and paste the below into an email, then print and bring it with you to the hearing to read it into the record.
TO: FreshDirect@esd.ny.gov
CC: southbronxunite@gmail.com
SUBJECT: I oppose the proposed ESD $10 million subsidy to FreshDirectTo Whom It May Concern:I oppose the proposed Empire State Development subsidy package for FreshDirect because the project: (1) runs counter to the needs, desires and well-established development plans of the local community (with multiple residential rezonings and State open space proposed prioritization of the Mott Haven-Port Morris Waterfront Plan), (2) would have devastating environmental and health impacts on a community where one in four children has asthma (as the company would bring upwards of 1,000 diesel truck trips through the neighborhood every day), (3) has no requirement to pay its workers a living wage (including for the more than half of its workforce that is not unionized), nor add any jobs despite promises made to the public, (4) violates the constitutional requirement that the state-owned land on which it is proposed to be sited provide a public benefit and reduce truck traffic, (5) is inconsistent with efforts to protect the South Bronx waterfront flood zone in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, and (6) runs contrary to fair business practices – no analysis has been made of its impact on existing brick-and-mortar grocers nor on new entrants to the grocery delivery market; there is also no cost-benefit analysis regarding the potential loss of jobs of Queens residents, nor on the ability of FreshDirect to stay and expand in its already-subsidized Queens location, which it disclosed would be the most economical option.
Additional facts to learn more, share and build more in-depth testimony against this project if you have the time!
IMPORTANT UPDATES: We are winning, but we need everyone to get across the finish line.CLICK HERE for updates on our community’s ongoing litigation against FreshDirect (especially in light of newly disclosed information), overwhelming support for the Mott Haven-Port Morris Waterfront Plan (which does not include FreshDirect), and growing pressure on the de Blasio administration to stop the still-pending subsidies.
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.
