Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Deputy Mayor Julie Su and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced La Marqueta as the first site identified for the City's municipal grocery store program.
The 9,000-square-foot store in East Harlem will be constructed from the ground up and is expected to open by 2029. The first City-owned grocery store is expected to open in late 2027. The Mamdani administration plans to open one store in each borough by the end of the Mayor's first term.
Grocery prices in New York City have risen nearly 66% over the past decade - significantly outpacing the national average. The city-owned grocery initiative is designed to lower costs on everyday staples by using public ownership to eliminate costs that are currently passed on to consumers.
The initiative aims to deliver affordable, high-quality groceries that provide meaningful savings to New Yorkers and strengthen neighborhood food access citywide. Mayor Mamdani has allocated $70 million in capital funds for the development of the five sites.
"When corporations control every part of the food supply chain, prices go up, basic necessities become luxuries and workers and customers both lose," said Mayor Mamdani. "A public option allows us to intervene where the market has failed. We cannot accept a status quo where even the most fundamental needs - putting food on the table - feel out of reach. This is about ensuring that every New Yorker, regardless of income or ZIP code, has access to fresh, healthy food at a price they can afford."
Under the model, the City will own the land and cover overhead costs like rent and construction. A private operator, selected through a request for proposals, will manage daily operations and be contractually required to pass savings directly to customers on a core basket of everyday staples.
"Economic justice means making sure the basic necessities of life - starting with food - are affordable and accessible in every borough," said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su. "The city-owned grocery stores initiative is a centerpiece of our economic justice agenda because it addresses affordability, worker dignity, and neighborhood vitality all at once."
"The health and well-being of New Yorkers are dependent on their ability to access affordable, nutritious foods," said NYC Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Helen Arteaga. "The opening of a city-owned grocery store - the first of five - is a monumental step toward addressing the cost-of-living crisis, improving public health, and creating a more dignified and equitable city for all New Yorkers."
The administration also announced the creation of an NYC Groceries Task Force led by Deputy Mayor Su and Deputy Mayor Arteaga. The task force will convene City agencies, industry experts and local small business owners to guide implementation.
"This initiative is about making sure families in my district can buy fresh, affordable food right in their own neighborhood, food that reflects the cultures and traditions of the people who live here," said Council Member Elsie Encarnacion."I'm thankful to Mayor Mamdani and his administration for choosing East Harlem as the first site, and for recognizing how important it is to invest in neighborhoods like ours."
"I commend Mayor Mamdani for taking this important step to expand access to healthy, affordable food in Manhattan," said Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal. "In East Harlem, we see the health consequences of limited access every day-from higher rates of diabetes to heart disease-and the selection of La Marqueta builds on its historic role as a vital neighborhood food hub."
"Food is a basic human right and no one should have to work more than one job to afford to put dinner on the table," said Council Member Yusef Salaam. "No child should go hungry and no parent should have to worry about where the next meal will come from. The opening of a municipal grocery store by Mayor Mamdani in East Harlem to serve Harlemites and upper Manhattanites is a significant step toward fighting food insecurity in our communities."
"Today, we take the first major step in delivering New York City's first public grocery stores and NYCEDC is proud to work with Mayor Mamdani and his administration in delivering these public stores that will help address food insecurity and affordability while ensuring good paying, quality jobs and a dignified, enjoyable shopping experience for New Yorkers," said NYCEDC Interim President & CEO Jeanny Pak. "We look forward to working together with our agency partners and engaging with the East Harlem community on the next steps of development for this public grocery store that will be of great benefit to East Harlem, surrounding communities, and New Yorkers at large."
"As the Administration seeks ways to lower the cost of groceries for New Yorkers, we look forward to working with it to make sure these stores deliver for families and workers alike," said Stuart Appelbaum, President of RWDSU and Executive VP of UFCW.
Located in the heart of East Harlem, La Marqueta is one of six public markets operated by NYCEDC. The site supports more than 20 small businesses and 120 workers, including restaurants, art vendors and community organizations.
Opened in 1936 by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia as the Park Avenue Retail Market, La Marqueta was created to bring East Harlem's pushcart vendors - predominantly Jewish and Italian - under one roof and expand and affordable access to fresh food for working-class New Yorkers. As waves of Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, and Mexican immigrants transformed the neighborhood into Spanish Harlem in the decades that followed, the market evolved, becoming "La Marqueta."
Mayor Mamdani's decision to site New York City's first public grocery store at La Marqueta continues that legacy: using public infrastructure to deliver affordable food to working class New Yorkers.
