NYCEDC is engaged in redeveloping the Hunts Point Peninsula in the South Bronx through its participation in the Hunts Point Vision Plan Task Force and work in the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center.
Overview
The Hunts Point Peninsula is an area of approximately 690 acres in the South Bronx, nearly half of which is occupied by the 329-acre Food Distribution Center. It is a diverse, industrial neighborhood with a solid residential community of roughly 12,000 residents.
Hunts Point Vision Plan Task Force
The Hunts Point Vision Plan Task Force was formed in Spring 2003 to provide a forum for addressing critical issues facing the Hunts Point Peninsula. The Task Force is made up of community leaders, business owners, local constituents, elected officials, and government agencies. The Hunts Point Vision Plan (below), released on March 8, 2005, focuses on four categories of short-term goals that were prioritized by the Task Force, and outlines a series of concrete recommendations to meet those goals:
- Optimizing Land Use
Including the redevelopment of brownfields and a special district rezoning that expands opportunities for industrial and large retail uses, and strengthens the buffer between residential and noxious industrial uses. For more information on the Hunts Point rezoning, visit the Department of City Planning. - Implementing Workforce Solutions
Including the creation of a permanent Hunts Point Workforce1 Career Center within the Hunts Point peninsula. For more information about the Workforce Career Center, visit the Department of Small Business Services. - Creating Connections
Including greater access to the waterfront, streetscape enhancements, and intersection improvements for pedestrian safety. For more information, review the South Bronx Greenway plan. - Improving Traffic Safety & Efficiency
Including the development of an alternative fueling facility, implementation of new truck routes and signage, and the reconfiguration of Food Center Drive.
NYCEDC has begun implementing portions of the Vision Plan and is coordinating its efforts with several agencies, including the Departments of City Planning, Parks & Recreation, Transportation, and Small Business Services. The Task Force continues to meet on a bi-annual basis at the offices of Bronx Community Board 2.To view a map of the project area with key highlights of the plan, download the Hunts Point Vision Plan poster.
Hunts Point Vision Plan
Chapter 4, pt 1: Opportunities for Improvements
Chapter 4, pt 2: Optimizing Land Use
Chapter 4, pt 3: Implementing Workforce Solutions
Chapter 4, pt 4: Creating Connections
Chapter 4, pt 5: Improving Traffic Safety & Efficiency
Chapter 5: Implementation and Continuing the Dialogue
Hunts Point Food Distribution Center
The Hunts Point Food Distribution Center is comprised of over 155 public and private wholesalers, including the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market, the Cooperative Meat Market, and the New Fulton Fish Market, who generate more than $3 billion in sales annually.
Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market
Opened in 1967, the Terminal Produce Market occupies 105 acres, and consists of four primary warehouse structures, two adjunct warehouses, and various administrative and maintenance structures, making it the largest produce market in the country. The market is home to 47 merchants ranging from small firms with three employees to large firms with approximately 400 employees for an aggregate total of roughly 3,000 employees. The market captures an estimated $2 to $2.3 billion in revenue per year, or 22% of regional wholesale produce sales, equivalent to approximately 60% of the produce sales within New York City.
Hunts Point Cooperative Meat Market
Opened in 1974, the Cooperative Meat Market occupies roughly 40 acres and consists of six large refrigerated, freezer buildings, including a new refrigeration plant; the total refrigerated space is approximately 1,000,000 square feet. The market is home to 52 merchants and approximately 2400 employees and is governed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which inspects and supervises the processing facilities daily. The Cooperative Meat Market supplies meat and meat products to the tri-state area and has distribution channels nationwide.
The New Fulton Fish Market
Opened in 1807, the New Fulton Fish Market relocated to Hunts Point in 2005 from lower Manhattan, making it the oldest and largest wholesale fish market in the country with 38 wholesalers employing an estimated 650 employees. The market consists of a 430,000-square foot facility with 19 bays and 8 separate entrances. The market captures an estimated $1 billion in revenue per year. View photos of the New Fulton Fish Market on NYCEDC's Flickr page.
Hunts Point Feasibility Studies
Organics Recovery Feasibility Study
December 2005: During the Hunts Point vision planning process, community partners articulated the need to evaluate environmentally sustainable practices in the operations of the Food Distribution Center. To that end, NYCEDC, together with the New York City Department of Sanitation, contracted with DSM Environmental Services, Inc. to assess the feasibility of siting an organics recovery facility at the Food Distribution Center. The study was presented to the Hunts Point Task Force in Spring 2006. The feasibility study had five principle tasks:
- Conduct a waste characterization analysis to determine the quantity and composition of material in the waste stream at the Food Center
- Conduct a technology evaluation to determine which technologies would be best suited to recover organics from the Food
- Center from a technical and community perspective
- Conduct a financial assessment of the most promising technologies, and compare estimated costs to current disposal costs, or other off-site alternatives for composting waste
- Evaluate potential sites for locating a facility
Hunts Point Food Distribution Center: Organics Recovery Feasibility Study
Energy Strategy Plan
September 2008: In coordination with the Hunts Point Vision Plan and PlaNYC, NYCEDC commissioned DMJM Harris to assess sustainable energy approaches at the Food Distribution Center to both reduce current energy consumption and supply a substantial portion of the energy needs of the Food Distribution Center with distributed generation (DG). The first phase of an energy strategy plan that seeks to identify economically and environmentally viable energy approaches for the Food Distribution Center, the study was presented to the Hunts Point Task Force in Fall 2008. The strategy plan had five principle tasks:
- Examine existing energy consumption patterns of individual tenants, including facility electrical and thermal load profiles, current condition of the facilities, potential energy conservation measures (ECMs) and interview tenants to understand their receptivity to DG;
- Assess the utility infrastructure and evaluate the Con Edison distribution system for its ability to provide the electrical load needed for future Food Distribution Center growth and to accept power onto its grid;
- Assess the feasibility of a combined heat and power (CHP) plant based on the energy needs of Food Distribution Center tenants; the potential plant was sized to supply the electrical load of the entire Food Distribution Center. An economic feasibility analysis was included;
- Evaluate applicable alternative energy technologies, including solar and fuel cells; and
- List the regulatory impacts, including an investigation of the utility interconnection requirements, issues such as franchise rights and fault current, and the application process required to utilize Con Edison’s grid for DG.
Hunts Point Food Distribution Center: Energy Strategy Plan
Anaerobic Digestion Feasibility Study
July 2010: In order to address the feasibility questions raised in the 2005 Organics Recovery Feasibility Study, NYCEDC initiated a follow-up study with R.W. Beck that focused on anaerobic digestion (AD). AD is a biological process in which biodegradable organic matter is broken down by bacteria into biogas, which consists of methane, carbon dioxide, and other trace gases. The biogas can be used to generate heat and electricity. The study examined the following:
- Identify additional generators that produce biodegradable waste appropriate for an AD facility
- Examine the options for employing the energy produced by AD and the costs and benefits of each
- Analyze the previously-studied sites more thoroughly to determine site preparation costs associated with an AD facility
- Identify financial arrangements that would be attractive to a facility developer and be acceptable to local waste generators
- Draft submission requirements for an RFEI/RFP to developing an AD Facility
- Estimate the net environmental impacts in truck traffic due to an AD facility
