Under the Wire
The Riverdale Press
By Adam Wisnieski
FreshDirect is coming to the Bronx. At least its headquarters are.
The online grocer decided to move to the borough after outgrowing its current facility in Long Island City. New Jersey and New York both wooed the company, but New York eventually won the contest by forking over $120 million in city and state incentives, including tax breaks and energy-related grants. Jersey offered $100 million.
The decision was announced on Feb. 7 and is expected to create approximately 1,000 new jobs. The city is also expected to retain 2,000 jobs from its Queens location. FreshDirect, an online grocery store that delivers to people’s homes, will invest $112 million to build a brand new facility at the Harlem River Yards.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. lauded the agreement for bringing jobs to the borough with an unemployment rate (as of December) of 12.4 percent.
