The developers of the former Key Food site on 5th Avenue and Sterling Place (pictured here) announced a deal with Lidl, a German supermarket chain, to open an almost 25,000 square foot grocery to replace the Key Food that served the Park Slope, Gowanus and Boerum Hill neighborhoods for nearly 40 years. Lidl is a discount retailer that relies on private labels to keep prices low.
Community reaction to the announcement was enthusiastic. Jay Marcus, Director of Real Estate for the Fifth Avenue Committee and a spokesperson for the community group that negotiated with the site’s developers, was quoted in Park Slope Patch saying that the choice of Lidl is a “win-win-win” for developers, the supermarket, and neighbors.
SJ Avery, former Civic Council Trustee who was a prime mover in pressuring the developers for a larger supermarket that would better meet the community’s needs, said that Lidl and the developers appeared to be living up to the commitments made several years ago to the community in terms of the size of the store, the length of the lease and the discount pricing.
Currently construction on the site is scheduled to begin in October, with a date of completion in 2024.
~~Timothy Gilles, PSCC President