Park Slope Key Food Is Part of an Urban Renewal Site
Public Input Is Required As Part of Any Proposed Use Changes for Urban Renewal Sites
The 40 year “Baltic Street Community Development Plan” or urban renewal plan was adopted by the City of New York in 1981 to redevelop the then blighted area. It still governs development on the 5th Avenue Park Slope Key Food for the next 5 years, and changes require approval from the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the City Planning Commission (CPC), who refers such actions to the local community board.
Avery Hall Investment’s Proposal to Redevelop the Site
Avery Hall Investments has an agreement with the current owners of the 5th Avenue Key Food to purchase the site and has proposed to develop the Park Slope Key Food site (aka 120 5th Avenue) under current zoning (R6A/R6B). Their proposal includes rental apartments – 25% of which would be affordable to low, moderate and middle income families – and ground-floor retail with below-grade parking. As of this writing, no grocery store is in their plan, although they have publicly stated that they would “consider” including a 7,000 sq. ft. store (which would use about 13% of their planned commercial space and which is less than ONE FIFTH as large as the current Key Food store!)
Current Community Priorities Around Site Development
A stakeholder group of local civic and community organizations has been formed to address community concerns and questions around the proposed redevelopment. They have raised three central Stakeholder Priorities for the proposed redevelopment of the Key Food site and have shared them with Avery Hall:
- Provide for an affordable & sizable community-oriented supermarket with a long term lease
- Ensure at minimum 25% of the project rental units remain permanently and more deeply affordable with lottery preference extended to residents displaced/ at risk of displacement from CB6
- Allow for meaningful community input into design and operations
Come to the Community Meeting on February 9th (6:30 p.m. – PS 133 – Baltic & 4th Ave.) to hear directly from the developer. Avery Hall has said they want to present their plan to the community. This is an opportunity to ask your questions, raise your concerns, and give feedback to the developer and attending elected officials.
Area residents have also started a petition to keep an affordable grocery in the neighborhood:
Click here to add your name.