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NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 2:16 p.m. ET
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By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 2:16 p.m. ET
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The New York City Council plans to hold a hearing on why a highly anticipated $650 million deal to modernize and fix pollution at the Hunts Point Produce Market in the South Bronx fell apart over the summer.
"We’re having a hearing on it because we believe this project is mission critical,” Council Speaker Julie Menin said Thursday on WNYC’s "The Brian Lehrer Show." “We want the parties to come together — the administration, the federal government, Hunts Point — to work out a solution.”
Gothamist exclusively reported details of the agreement’s collapse in September. Mayor Zohran Mamdani blamed previous Mayor Eric Adams for ramming the plan through during his final days in office before all concerns were actually resolved. Some $370 million in federal grants and loans are now in jeopardy.
The Council hearing, which has not yet been scheduled, is expected to scrutinize Mamdani’s economic development strategy. Mamdani took nearly seven months to appoint a head to the city’s Economic Development Corporation, a powerful agency charged with working with the private sector to create jobs and carry out ambitious projects, including Hunts Point.
“I have a lot of questions about how a project with so much potential for economic development, and support from every level of government, from City Hall to Washington, ended up here,” Councilmember Virginia Maloney, who chairs the economic development committee, said in a statement. “I look forward to chairing this hearing and getting answers about why a project that promised so much for the South Bronx is no longer moving forward.”
Councilmember Justin Sanchez, who represents the district, called the Hunts Point project “the most significant environmental justice investment in our city.”
“The promises of cleaner air, fresher food, less waste, and a healthier Bronx fell apart for reasons that are still unclear,” he added. “We cannot allow this project to quietly disappear without accountability or a clear path forward.”
The city owns more than 100 acres of land where the sprawling market operates. Hunts Point is the largest wholesale food distribution center in the country.
On his final days in office, Adams announced a plan to build a new facility that would have eliminated the need for around 1,000 diesel-spewing refrigerated trailers at the site. Roughly two dozen operators have been using the trailers because the 1960s-era warehouses at the market lack sufficient refrigeration capacity.
The diesel-powered trailers have become symbols of environmental injustice in the South Bronx, where one in five children develop asthma.
Along with addressing the pollution, the city has also sought to ensure the Hunts Point Produce Market's future.
But the powerful co-op of market operators rejected the deal, saying they had concerns over how the project could change their way of doing business.
News of the collapsed deal shocked city officials and others who spent years working on the project.
City Comptroller Mark Levine described the project as “one of the most important economic development projects in New York City.”
“For a lot of reasons, we cannot let this fail,” Levine told Gothamist earlier this month. “You can't leave 1,000 diesel trailers running 24-7 as a refrigeration solution in a modern American city. That's just not acceptable.”
Mamdani’s office referred to his remarks when he was asked about the fate of the project last week at an economic development event at NYU.
Mamdani accused the Adams administration of putting together a deal that placed the city in a weak bargaining position.
“It stated that if this deal was not accepted, then the current lease would be renewed for additional years,” the mayor said. “Not only did that framework fall apart, it was also a framework that I am not sure many people ever had confidence that it could sustain itself.”
The mayor said the city was now looking to “create a new path forward.” He did not address the issue of losing state and federal funding for the project.
A spokesperson for the Hunts Point Produce Market did not respond to a request for comment.
Tagged
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bronx
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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