Hunts Point Peninsula

Hunts Point Vision Plan 

The Hunts Point Vision Plan Task Force was formed in Spring 2003 to provide a forum for addressing critical issues facing Hunts Point. The Task Force is made up of community leaders, business owners, local constituents, elected officials, and government agencies. The result was the development of a strong community-based process to develop the Hunts Point Vision Plan, forging a new type of relationship between community and City. The plan served as a guiding document for the local Hunts Point community to hold the City accountable for the last 15 years, and the City continues to meet with Vision Plan Task Force twice a year to report on status of projects. 

The plan focused on four categories of short-term goals that were prioritized by the Task Force and outlines a series of recommendations to meet those goals:

• Optimizing Land Use: Including the redevelopment of brownfields and a special district rezoning that expands opportunities for industrial and large retail uses, and strengthens the buffer between residential and noxious industrial uses
• Implementing Workforce Solutions: Including the creation of a permanent Hunts Point Workforce1 Career Center within the Hunts Point peninsula
• Creating Connections: Including greater access to the waterfront, streetscape enhancements, and intersection improvements for pedestrian safety. For more information, please see the South Bronx Greenway plan
• Improving Traffic Safety & Efficiency: Including the development of an alternative fueling facility, implementation of new truck routes and signage, and the reconfiguration of Food Center Drive

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.

Creating Connections: 

• Randall’s Island Connector completed 
• Anheuser-Busch walkway opened 
• Pedestrian and bike improvements constructed along Spofford, Hunts Point, and Lafayette Avenues 
• New Bx46 bus route into the FDC 

Improving Traffic Safety & Efficiency: 

• Improvements to 13 intersections completed 
• 96.6% reduction in air pollutant PM2.5 through the Hunts Point Clean Trucks Program 
• New truck routes established and monitored with the aid of new signage 
• Food Center Drive converted to one-way traffic with new, separated bike lane

Several new projects have also emerged over the last 15 years that go beyond the work addressed in the original Vision Plan, including:

• La Peninsula (the redevelopment of Spofford) through the creation of affordable housing, a fresh food grocer, and industrial and open space
• GrowNYC Greenmarket build-out with public retail component
• A $67 million upgrade to Hunts Point Wastewater Treatment Plant to improve air quality and energy efficiency
• The Hunts Point Resiliency energy pilot project
• The planned Hunts Point Metro-North Station that is being addressed in the ongoing Bronx Metro-North Station Area Study

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 112 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 3,000 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.

Hunts Point Cooperative Meat Market

Opened in 1974, the Cooperative Meat Market occupies roughly 60 acres and consists of seven large refrigerated, freezer buildings, including a refrigeration plant; the total refrigerated space is approximately 1,000,000 square feet. The market is home to 52 merchants and approximately 2,400 employees and is governed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which inspects and supervises the processing facilities daily. The Cooperative Meat Market supplies meat and meat products to the tri-state area and has distribution channels nationwide.

The Fulton Fish Market

Opened in 1807, the New Fulton Fish Market relocated to Hunts Point in 2005 from lower Manhattan, making it the oldest and largest wholesale fish market in the country with 26 wholesalers employing an estimated 450 employees. The market consists of a 430,000-square foot facility with 19 bays and 8 separate entrances.