Hunts Point Peninsula

Hunts Point Forward: A Vision for the Future

In June 2022, the City and the Hunts Point community released the final report from Hunts Point Forward, a yearlong process that brought together residents, workers, businesses, elected officials, and City agencies to create a shared vision of the priorities that will guide community efforts and drive future investments in Hunts Point for the next 15 years.

The final report establishes a path to implementation for concrete, near-term projects and defines long-term goals that City agencies and community organizations can commit to carrying forward. Hunts Point Forward built on the progress of past plans, including the 2004 Hunts Point Vision Plan.

Hunts Point Vision Plan

In 2004, the City and community released the Hunts Point Vision Plan, a plan that documented a set of projects fostered through the tremendous collaboration between the City and its various agencies, the Community Board, local residents and community-based organizations, elected officials, and industry. Since its release, the Plan led to new parks, safer streets, over a thousand new jobs, and improved air quality through the reduction of air pollutants.

The plan focused on four categories of short-term goals that were prioritized by the Task Force and outlined a series of recommendations to meet those goals. We have accomplished the following:

Optimized land use to support mutually beneficial growth in the residential and industrial communities

• Created 14+ acres of new waterfront parks
• Remediated over 40 percent of the original Con Edison manufactured gas plant site to foster job-intensive uses
• Supported the creation of over 1,000 new industrial jobs
• Prevented new waste facilities from being created around the residential area

Created connections to foster improved access and mobility for residents and workers

• Created Hunts Point Landing, Hunts Point Riverside Park, Randall’s Island Connector, Anheuser-Busch Walkway, and Food Center Drive Greenway. For more information, please see the South Bronx Greenway plan
• Built out pedestrian and bike paths along Spofford, Hunts Point, and Lafayette Avenues
• Created the new Bx46 bus route to connect the residential and industrial communities

Improved traffic safety and efficiency to enhance air quality and pedestrian safety

• Made 13 intersections safer for pedestrians
• Improved air quality through the Hunts Point Clean Trucks program
• Created new truck routes to increase the efficiency of trucks and reduced the number of trucks that enter residential areas
• Converted Food Center Drive to a one-way street with new, separated bike lane

Implemented workforce solutions to better link employment opportunities to local residents

• Opened the Hunts Point Workforce1 Career Center and connected hundreds of residents to employment opportunities

In addition to the 2004 vision plan recommendations, the City and State are advancing several other projects in Hunts Point:

Expanding affordable housing, community amenities, and quality jobs:

• By turning a former juvenile detention center into a community asset, the La Peninsula development will create nearly 740 permanently affordable housing units, open space, and new industrial jobs

Enhancing resiliency and sustainability:

• Partnering with leading research institutions such as the Urban Land Institute to ensure plans are in line with best-in-class energy and resilience solutions
• Protecting a critical part of the City’s goods supply by providing back-up power to the produce and meat markets in the event of an emergency
• Enhancing social resiliency by implementing solar energy and storage at two neighborhood schools, which can serve as community gathering spaces during emergencies
• Promoting climate-related emergency preparedness through the Be A Buddy Program
• Implementing resilient Wifi networks to support local businesses during service outages

Investing in infrastructure:

• Committing $67 million to upgrade the Hunts Point Wastewater Treatment Plant to improve air quality and energy efficiency
• Planning for a new Hunts Point Metro-North Station to improve connections to and from the neighborhood

Over the years, the City, together with the community, has successfully implemented major capital programs and programs. Several agencies, including NYCEDC and the Departments of City Planning, Parks & Recreation, Transportation, and Small Business Services, among many others, have all contributed to this success. The City hopes to continue building on these achievements together.

Hunts Point Food Distribution Center

According to the 2016 New York City Food Distribution and Resiliency Study – the “Five Borough Food Flow” – the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center (FDC) is the single largest geographic cluster of food sources for the city (measured by annual distribution volume in lbs. to NYC customers). The FDC is comprised of over 155 public and private wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers, including the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market, the Hunts Point Cooperative Meat Market, and the New Fulton Fish Market. It is estimated that 4.5 billion lbs. of food is distributed through the Hunts Point FDC annually, with roughly 50% going to NYC and 50% going outside of the city. Together, the FDC employs 8,500 direct jobs. In all, 12% of all food distributed to NYC comes from the Hunts Point FDC. 49% of the customers at the FDC are independent restaurants and cafes, 20% are bodegas, 18% are supermarkets, and 13% are food markets.

Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market

Opened in 1967, the Terminal Produce Market occupies 103 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 31 merchants ranging from small firms with three employees to large firms with approximately 400 employees for an aggregate total of roughly 2,000 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.