Hunts Point Will Never Move

Hunts Point Will Never Move

If there’s something I’d be willing to bet the farm on – if I had one – it would be that the Hunts Point Terminal Wholesale Market – at least in my lifetime, will never leave the South Bronx for New Jersey, or anywhere else.

This once again comes to mind as New York City and the governing body of the world’s largest wholesale produce market – the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market Cooperative, have agreed to a 90-day extension for exclusive negotiations to continue trying to reach a long-term lease.  In essence, this gives the involved parties through May to negotiate.

While  New York City certainly doesn’t want Hunts Point to move its facilities to New Jersey, which keeps offering it tax incentives to do so, it’s not going to happen.  New York City loves the taxes it receives from the $2 billion in annual revenues Hunts Point generates.  There are 47 vendors, primarily wholesale receivers and distributors, on Hunts Point, and they love the location.  It is situated in the middle of America’s largest concentrated population.  The last thing they want is a wholesale market in Jersey, and having to distribute fresh fruits and veggies to customers in New York  City, which would require crossing the gridlocked George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel and countless other thoroughfares going over and under the giant Hudson River.

While it might be a long haul produce trucker’s dream delivering product in New Jersey rather than the South Bronx, it isn’t going to happen.  The only reason the Hunt Point folks even pretend to want to move to Jersey is as a negotiation tool to leverage a better deal with New York City, who actually owns and leases Hunts Point.