Mamdani announces plans for city-owned grocery store in East Harlem
Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday announced plans to build a city-owned grocery store in East Harlem, advancing one of his core campaign promises. Located under the Park Avenue Viaduct between 111th and 116th Streets, La Marqueta was opened by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in 1936 as one of the city’s original public markets. Over the years, the marketplace has struggled and has shrunk its footprint and its number of vendors. As the New York Times first reported, the city plans to spend $30 million to build the store at the site of La Marqueta, which is expected to open by 2029.
LaGuardia opened the Park Avenue Retail Market in 1936 to bring hundreds of the neighborhood’s pushcart vendors under one roof, allowing food to remain affordable and conditions to be more sanitary. According to the city, as the neighborhood “transformed from Italian Harlem to Spanish Harlem,” the market became known as La Marqueta. In addition to selling Latin American and Caribbean goods, the market has served as a retail and cultural anchor in East Harlem.
According to Mamdani, grocery prices increased in New York City by nearly 66 percent between 2013 and 2023. The city-supported store, to be run by a private operator that “answers to standards” set by the city, according to the mayor, will require that basic staple groceries like eggs and bread be discounted. The city will waive rent and real estate taxes. The private operator will be selected through a request for proposals.
“Just as LaGuardia used government to respond to the challenges of the Great Depression, we will use government to respond to rising prices and unaffordable groceries,” Mandani said during a press conference on Tuesday.
The mayor said 65,000 New Yorkers live within a 10-minute walk of La Marqueta, including 5,000 NYCHA residents on either side of Park Avenue. About 40 percent of East Harlem residents received public assistance or SNAP benefits in the last year.
“At its peak, La Marqueta served 25,000 customers per day,” Mamdani said. “We hope to make a similar impact in this very neighborhood, continuing LaGuardia’s legacy.”
The East Harlem grocery store will be built on a vacant, city-owned lot and will not displace any existing vendors, according to the Times. Mamdani proposed $70 million in capital funds to open five grocery stores, one in every borough, by the end of 2029. The plan requires approval by the City Council.
The first city-owned store will open within an existing building in a different borough by the end of 2027. It’s unclear, as of now, where this store will be located.
Overseen by the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the city’s network of public markets includes Essex Market, Moore Street Market, Arthur Avenue Market, Gourmet Glatt, and Jamaica Farmers Market.
The EDC will oversee the construction of the new La Marqueta store.
“Today, we take the first major step in delivering New York City’s first public grocery stores and NYCEDC is proud to work with Mayor Mamdani and his administration in delivering these public stores that will help address food insecurity and affordability while ensuring good paying, quality jobs and a dignified, enjoyable shopping experience for New Yorkers,” NYCEDC Interim President & CEO Jeanny Pak said.
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