Are SuperPier developers RXR Realty and Youngwoo & Associates sending celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain back to the kitchen? On the heels of an announcement that Bourdain Market’s opening is being pushed back two years, the developers have apparently reached out to replacement operators.
It turns out that Bourdain, which disclosed the delayed opening last month, has a letter of intent to lease the 155,000-square-foot space, but not a legally binding lease.
Bourdain’s business partner Stephen Werther told Eater that the lease signing is “imminent,” but the process has been drawn out because SuperPier is not a traditional property – nor is the lease a traditional lease. Still, he added, “I think everybody expected it to be done a while ago.”
According to Eater, the delay has prompted RXR [TRData] and Youngwoo to reach out to Gansevoort Market’s owner Chris Reda to discuss the possibility of taking over the space instead. Bourdain announced plans last year for the buzzed-about international marketplace, which is projected to cost $20 million to $30 million to build out. The market will feature 100 domestic and international vendors, including an oyster bar, bakery, tapas bar and farmer’s market.
For its part, Youngwoo spokesperson Christine Nediar told Eater that the developer never officially announced Bourdain’s tenancy. With the exception of Google, she said, most of Superpier’s tenants have been kept “under wraps.”
RXR and Youngwoo signed a 97-year lease last year with the Hudson River Park Trust to construct the 480,000-square-foot complex. The $350 million pier project is anchored by Google, which is set to take 225,000 square feet. [Eater] — E.B. Solomont