NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) — New York will embark on a redevelopment of the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx, a project aimed at modernizing an aging wholesale complex that feeds much of the city but has become increasingly strained by pollution and decades-old infrastructure.
The deal, announced by Eric Adams in one of his final acts as mayor, is backed by $405 million in city, state and federal funding. It calls for replacing the aging market with a new, all-electric food distribution center designed to shift more freight to rail and waterways.
City officials said the project would preserve thousands of existing jobs, create about 2,000 construction jobs and reduce diesel pollution in a neighborhood that has long absorbed the environmental costs of serving as a crucial hub for New York’s fresh fruit and vegetables.
“The Hunts Point Produce Market is a critical node in our city’s food distribution network,” Adams said in a statement Tuesday. “With cleaner air, cutting-edge technology and good-paying jobs for working-class New Yorkers, the new Hunts Point Produce Market represents the smart, forward-looking investments our administration has made every day in office.”
The announcement comes two days before Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani takes office, leaving the execution of the multiyear project largely to the incoming administration. Construction is expected to begin in late 2026, following environmental reviews and design work overseen by the city’s Economic Development Corporation.
Hunts Point supplies roughly a quarter of New York’s fresh produce and handles more than 2.5 billion pounds (1.1 billion kilograms) of fruits and vegetables each year, much of it sourced from New York state farms. The 100-acre market houses more than 30 wholesalers that serve bodegas, independent grocers and restaurants across the five boroughs.
But the complex has struggled to keep pace with modern food logistics. Its electrical capacity is stretched, warehouse layouts are poorly suited for larger trucks, and hundreds of refrigerated trailers often idle on site to keep goods cold. Public health researchers and community advocates have linked diesel emissions from those operations to elevated asthma rates in the surrounding neighborhood.
The project will be funded by $130 million from New York City, $130 million from the state and $145 million in federal grants. City officials said they also anticipate securing an additional $230 million federal loan through the US Department of Transportation, which would bring the total project cost to $635 million.