Hunts Point Terminal Produce Cooperative Ass'n v. New York City Economic Development Corp.

36 A.D.3d 234, 824 N.Y.S.2d 59
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedNovember 9, 2006
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 36 A.D.3d 234 (Hunts Point Terminal Produce Cooperative Ass'n v. New York City Economic Development Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hunts Point Terminal Produce Cooperative Ass'n v. New York City Economic Development Corp., 36 A.D.3d 234, 824 N.Y.S.2d 59 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Catterson, J.

The Hunts Point Food Distribution Center was created in 1967 and occupies almost half of the 690-acre Hunts Point peninsula.1 Located within the Food Distribution Center are several public markets including the New York City Terminal Market (hereinafter referred to as the Produce Market), the Hunts Point Cooperative Market, which is a meat market (founded in 1974), and the Fulton Fish Market at Hunts Point. In 2005, there were a number of food distribution companies within the Food Distribution Center, including, inter alia, Dairy-[236]*236land, USA Corp. (hereinafter referred to as Dairyland) and the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (hereinafter referred to as A & P).

The Produce Market consists of 126 acres and contains 275 store units in 10 buildings. In 1986, the City of New York (hereinafter referred to as the City) executed a 25-year lease with petitioner Hunts Point Terminal Produce Cooperative Association, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the Cooperative) and transferred the operation and maintenance of the Produce Market to the Cooperative, which presently consists of 51 family-owned wholesale produce businesses.

Against this backdrop, The Bronx Terminal Market (hereinafter referred to as BTM), which is located in the West Haven section of the Bronx near Yankee Stadium, had deteriorated over the years. By 2004, the City had spent more than a decade in litigation with the ground lessee and had repeatedly sought to terminate the lease in an effort to redevelop the property. (See Siegmund Strauss, Inc. v Strategic Dev. Concepts, Inc., 10 Misc 3d 1067[A], 2006 NY Slip Op 50008[U] [Sup Ct, NY County 2006].) The litigation was ultimately settled and agreements were entered into to develop a retail complex on the site. However, this planned redevelopment required the termination of public market operations and displacement of the 22 produce wholesalers who operated within the BTM. As a result, the City sought solutions on where to relocate these displaced wholesalers.

In 2004, respondent New York City Economic Development Corporation (hereinafter referred to as EDC), a not-for-profit local development corporation that performs certain services for the City, including lease administration of city-owned market property, published a request for proposals (hereinafter referred to as the REP) seeking proposals to lease a 10.5-acre vacant parcel of land within the Food Distribution Center along Food Center Drive (hereinafter referred to as Site C). It is undisputed that EDC is not a city agency. EDC received qualified responses from Anheuser Busch, Dairyland and respondent Baldor Specialty Foods, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as Baldor), a non-unionized supplier of produce to luxury food operators such as restaurants and hotels. At the time, Baldor’s business was located at 511 Bariy Street, which is in Hunts Point, but not in the public market area.

Selection of the Site C tenant was subsequently delayed because in the summer of 2005, A & P which leased the premises [237]*237located at 155 Food Center Drive (hereinafter referred to as the Premises) which is the center of the instant controversy, decided to move its operations and sought to divest itself of the Premises through a sublease. The Premises is across the street from the Produce Market and consists of two parcels. One parcel is nine acres and contains a 185,000-square-foot refrigerated warehouse and distribution facility. The other parcel is almost seven acres and contains an 8,000-square-foot garage and parking facility.

The Cooperative, Baldor and Dairyland all expressed interest in the Premises. However, when A & P was on the verge of entering into a sublease with Dairyland for the Premises, EDC reminded A & P that pursuant to its lease with the City, A & P was not permitted to profit from any sublease arrangements. In September 2005, following further discussions with EDC, A & P broke off negotiations with Dairyland and ultimately surrendered the Premises to the City.

Dairyland then communicated to EDC that it needed to expand immediately and that unless a decision on the Premises was made by September 30, 2005, it would move its business and take 800 jobs with it to New Jersey. EDC resisted requests to do a sole source transaction with Dairyland and instead, issued a Long Term Lease Opportunity (RFP) for the Premises.

EDC solicited offers through a direct mailing to companies that had previously expressed interest in the Premises, including, inter alia, the Cooperative, Baldor and Dairyland. EDC also published the RFP in several newspapers. The RFP was made public on September 19, 2005 and responses were due by September 26th.2 Because of the obvious time constraints, the submission requirements were simplified by EDC. Moreover, EDC’s standard Industrial Development Questionnaire was modified to include a question asking for a description of the responding company’s proposed use for its existing facility “ie. keep for existing operations, sublease, etc.” This question was added for the specific purpose of facilitating EDC’s objective of relocating the displaced BTM wholesalers.

In addition to describing the Premises, the RFP defined EDC’s redevelopment goals as follows:

“As part of a designated New York City public mar[238]*238ket area, the [Premises] is intended to be used for the wholesale purchase, sale, or storage of food, flowers,
or ornamental plants. [EDC] is seeking uses for [the Premises] that are consistent with and complementary to the surrounding market uses, and that would contribute to the overall economy of this area of the Bronx. Proposals should be limited to food-related uses including warehousing, processing, handling, storage, and wholesale distribution of food, flowers, or ornamental plants.
“[EDC] anticipates leasing the [Premises], either in whole, or in two individual parcels, to one or more Industrial firms, engaged in the production, processing or distribution of food products. [EDC] will consider offers with an initial lease term of 20 years and an option for two (2) ten-year lease renewals. Lease offers that maximize the full development potential of all or a portion of the [Premises] are strongly encouraged. Joint lease/tenancy offers from more than one company will be accepted. Proposals should include the rent offer, a rent escalation schedule, and an offer for all fixtures remaining within the building.”

Furthermore, EDC stated that it would use the following evaluation criteria for reviewing the submissions:

“Economic Impact on/Spending in New York City— projected expenditures, including annual ground lease payments and annual operating costs; permanent on-site employment and payroll; and any applicable New York City taxes such as real property, sales, and personal income taxes;
“Job Creation and Retention — number of existing permanent jobs and number of projected new permanent jobs;
“Site Utilization — current utilization plans for the [Premises]; and the extent to which future expansion plans maximize the development potential of the [Premises] in a manner consistent with applicable zoning, environmental and other regulatory controls.”

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Bluebook (online)
36 A.D.3d 234, 824 N.Y.S.2d 59, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hunts-point-terminal-produce-cooperative-assn-v-new-york-city-economic-nyappdiv-2006.