Wanted: developer for Citarella’s Harlem site

The city is inviting developers to submit proposals for the former Taystee Bakery Complex in Harlem, which grocer Citarella bought in 1999 but has since failed to convert into the warehouse, office and retail spaces it once promised for the site. According to Crain’s, the city, which sued to kick the company out of the 134,000-square-foot space after Citarella reneged on its agreement, expects to win the grocer’s appeal to stay but doesn’t want to wait any longer before moving ahead with new plans. The original deal said that Citarella owner Joseph Guerrera could have the six-building site on West 125th and West 126th streets for $850,000 if he redeveloped them by 2006. But with the exception of a retail store that opened in 2005, the rest of the space remains unchanged more than a decade later. The city’s Request for Expressions of Interest from prospective new owners has a due date of Jan. 19 and doesn’t require any specific use for the buildings. [Crain’s]