Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Whole Foods Tries To Convince Gowanus New Store Will Be "Community Center"
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 27, 2012
Modified Feb 27, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
John Del Signore/Gothamist
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 27, 2012
Modified Feb 27, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
For over eight years now, Whole Foods has been trying to get a new location in Gowanus off the ground. The company removed the toxic waste from the 4.2-acre site on the corner of Third Street and Third Avenue, and promises the establishment will feature a 20,000-square-foot rooftop greenhouse, and a charging station for electric cars. You'd think it would be welcomed with open arms by those Brooklyn residents who don't belong to the Park Slope Food Co-Op, but Whole Foods is still trying to persuade the community it's going to be a great neighbor.
On Tuesday, the city's Board of Standards and Appeals will vote on whether to approve a special permit for Whole Foods’ proposed 52,000-square-foot store, which "is more than five times bigger than the zoning regulations currently allow," the Times reports. Those who attended public hearings on the matter believe that the board is likely to vote to approve the Whole Foods, much to the dismay of the folks at the Gowanus Institute, who have proposed this alternative for the site:
GI proposes a manufacturing complex totaling 370,000 SF comprised of two interconnected buildings—one serving the culinary arts and food production and the second building serving the creative and green industries. In tandem with the new buildings, GI proposes a program dedicated to vocational training, business incubation and support services for entrepreneurs in the culinary and creative industries. Facilities for these services would be on site in addition to space for research & development and related commercial uses.
One of the two buildings, with 75,000 sq ft on four stories facing Third Avenue, could be developed and operated by WFM as a state-of-the-art commercial food production and training facility as well as a kitchen incubator.
The Gowanus Institute says their proposal would create 950 new jobs, and Whole Foods would still get to operate there, selling only local products and running the kitchen training facility. Whole Foods counters that they already sell local products, and a spokesman says the new store would also produce 350 jobs, he said, 262 of them full-time. "We want to be a local community center," the Whole Foods rep tells the Times.
That's nice, but record producer Martin Bisi (the same Martin Bisi who took the infamous Sleepy Cop photo last week!) is worried the Whole Foods will drive up rents. Bisi, who operates his recording studio near the site, tells the Times, "My issue with this is what happens five years down the road, maybe even a decade. There’s a lot of paranoia of people around here because we’ve seen in other parts of the city the process of what happens." But at least we know that if the Whole Foods ever opens, Bisi will be keeping them on their toes.
Tagged
brooklyn
gentrification
Gowanus
Whole Foods
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .