On April 14, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani “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,” according to the mayor’s office.

The total cost of construction is estimated to be $30 million, which raised many eyebrows among those who know a thing or two about building grocery stores, reports the New York Post.

“Even a high end, gourmet store in the middle of Manhattan wouldn’t cost that much to build,” said Anthony Pena, president of the National Supermarket Association.

“$30 million is an awful lot to spend to build one supermarket,” concurred Avi Kaner, the former owner of New York’s 17-store Morton Williams grocery chain.

Despite the exorbitant construction costs, Mamdani argues the city-run supermarket will “deliver affordable, high-quality groceries that provide meaningful savings to New Yorkers and strengthen neighborhood food access citywide.”

“Grocery prices in New York City have risen nearly 66% over the past decade — significantly outpacing the national........

© Townhall