NYCEDC, Councilmember Salamanca, and Hunts Point Cooperative Market Break Ground on $18 Million Building C Renovations as Part of Hunts Point Food Distribution Center Modernization and Resiliency Efforts
Backed by $12 Million Investment by New York City Councilmember Rafael Salamanca Jr. and City Capital, the Improved Structure Will Include Sealed, Energy-Efficient Insulated Metal Panels for Cleaner, Long-Term Durability
HPCM’s Building C Modernization Builds on City, State, and Federal Government’s $1 Billion Revitalization Efforts in the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center
NEW YORK, NY—New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), New York City Councilmember Rafael Salamanca Jr. and the Hunts Point Cooperative Market (HPCM) were joined today by elected officials and community leaders to break ground on HPCM’s Building C renovations that will help make the building a more sustainable, resilient structure. The building renovations are backed by a $18 million investment, including $12 million by Councilmember Salamanca, and will cover the façade replacement which will remove the deteriorating exterior materials and replace them with sealed, energy-efficient insulated metal panel—ensuring cleaner surroundings and long-term durability—which, when completed will improve performance without interrupting the market’s operations. HPCM’s renovations will build on the city, state, and federal government’s $1 billion revitalization efforts in the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, the largest food distribution center in the country. The renovations are anticipated to be completed by 2026.
“Hunts Point feeds our city—and this project is about keeping that engine strong,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión Jr. “By investing in cleaner, more resilient infrastructure at the Coop Market, we’re supporting good jobs, healthier communities, and a stronger, more sustainable food system for New Yorkers.”
“The Hunts Point Coop Market’s Building C renovations will serve as another crucial step for HPCM and the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center overall as we continue to work on the once-in-a-generation effort to modernize this vital food distribution hub and we are especially grateful to Councilmember Salamanca for his contributions towards this project,” said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “HPCM is a cornerstone of New York City’s meat processing and distribution, responsible for supplying many of the city’s supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, country clubs, and butcher shops and when completed, the renovated facility will build on a number of initiatives including Hunts Point Forward, PlaNYC, and the Food Safety Modernization Act.”
“As a someone who is born and raised in this community, I know firsthand how important the Hunts Point markets are, not just to the tri-state region, but to the people who call the South Bronx home,” said New York City Councilmember Rafael Salamanca, 17th Council District, The Bronx. “Our food markets are world-class, but to maintain them and the standards consumers deserve requires significant investment. Using the power of the budget, I am proud to say I have secured hundreds of millions of dollars for the Hunts Point food markets, particularly the Hunts Point Meat Marker, where I have personally allocated over $31 million in critical capital upgrades. With the much-needed renovations of Building C, we are ensuring the Hunts Point Meat Market will continue to serve as one of the preeminent food distributors in our country, while having the resources needed to succeed for future generations to come.”
“We are happy and thankful to see façade project started,” said Andrew Sussman, President of the Hunts Point Cooperative Market. “This project and others like it will continue to fortify the Hunts Point Meat Market to provide protein to the millions of people in the metropolitan area and beyond and provide jobs to thousands of Bronx residents.”
“The renovation of Building C at the Hunts Point Cooperative Market is a critical step forward for environmental justice, job creation, and long-term resiliency in the Bronx,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “This project reflects our shared commitment to modernizing one of the most essential food hubs in the nation while investing in healthier infrastructure for a community that has carried far too many burdens for far too long. I want to thank Councilmember Salamanca, NYCEDC, and all of our partners for helping move The Bronx forward.”
The Hunts Point Coop Market distributes more than 1.1 billion pounds of meat and meat products to New York City and the Tri-State area. The market employs around 2,400 New Yorkers and supplies 35 percent of the city’s protein source.
Built in 1972, the Hunts Point Coop Market started as a 40-acre facility with six buildings but over time expanded to a 60-acre facility with seven buildings. Building C, one of the original six buildings, has been affected by deteriorating infrastructure – including degraded masonry—which worsens air quality in an area that has long struggled with poor air quality.
Leading the building renovations will be McKissack & McKissack, a minority-owned design and construction company that led the structural analysis of the existing building facade and new design. NYCEDC selected McKissack to provide construction management services for a number of projects within the Hunts Point Food Distribution center as well as other projects throughout New York City.
The Hunts Point Coop Market Building C renovations will also build on the ‘Hunts Point Forward’ plan in 2022, a comprehensive plan to create economic opportunity and improve quality of life for New Yorkers in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the South Bronx. The plan is backed by a $40 million commitment from Mayor Adams and outlines a 15-year vision shared by the city and the community with more than 70 short- and long-term recommendations for creating family-sustaining jobs, improving public safety, enhancing community health and access to healthy food, promoting environmental justice, and delivering upgrades to open space, transportation, and other key community infrastructure.
About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
