FreshDirect snares $87M in public funds for move to Bronx

FreshDirect is getting an $87 million subsidy from the city to help it move from Queens to the Bronx’s Harlem River Yards, DNAinfo reported.

The online grocer could receive nearly $128 million in taxpayer funds if the state approves its portion of package. FreshDirect had threatened to take its operations to New Jersey if it didn’t receive incentives to stay in New York.

Earlier this week, the City Planning Commission recommended a lease modification required for the company to build its headquarters on a privately controlled site. The modification, which goes to Mayor Michael Bloomberg for final approval, would allow FreshDirect to build a parking lot.

In June, a lawsuit by the group South Bronx Unite seeking to block the Long Island City-based FreshDirect’s move was dismissed, as previously reported. The group alleged that the grocer wouldn’t pay air wages and that its trucks would pollute the community. [DNAinfo] – Mark Maurer