Staff Reports
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s big promise of a city-run grocery store in East Harlem just got a lot noisier — and not in a good way. Reporters dug up city budget records showing La Marqueta already had nearly $25 million set aside years ago, yet almost none of that money has been spent. Now the mayor wants about $30 million more for a single 9,000-square-foot store. Taxpayers deserve to know whether this is a smart investment or a bookkeeping shell game.
What the records actually show
Public project files and the NYC Economic Development Corporation planning notes show a roughly $25 million capital line for La Marqueta from a 2017 City Council/EDC effort. The plan included playgrounds, outdoor seating, a market and a food-hall style layout. But the city’s capital project tracker lists only about $98,700 spent so far on that line. Separately, the mayor’s office and EDC announced a roughly $30 million budget for the new La Marqueta grocery project and said the whole five-store program has about $70 million set aside. That math raises a simple question: are these two separate piles of money, or are we double-counting the same pot of cash while East Harlem still waits for visible results?
Why taxpayers deserve straight answers
City officials reportedly told reporters the 2017 allocation and the new $30 million plan are distinct. But a verbal reassurance to a reporter is not the same as a clear public accounting. New Yorkers should see a straightforward ledger that shows what the old money paid for, what contracts it committed to, and whether any of it will be applied to the new build. Even Columbia Business School adjunct Stephen Zagor called the $30 million price tag “outrageous.” If the city can’t explain where the earlier money went, skepticism is the polite response. And if you thought the mayor would wave a magic wand and the City Council would rubber-stamp it, think again — Council oversight and budget hearings are the right place for hard questions.
Cost context and the risk to local businesses
For the grown-up perspective: industry figures and supermarket startup guides show many private grocery projects cost far less than the sums being thrown around for La Marqueta. A small grocery can open for a few million dollars; a 9,000-square-foot build with a $30 million price tag stands out like a tuxedo at a backyard barbecue. Independent grocers and trade groups such as the National Supermarket Association worry a city-owned store could undercut local shops that already run on thin margins. If the goal is lower food prices, there are smarter, market-friendly ways to help people — not heavy-handed, expensive municipal experiments that may put local businesses out of business.
What should happen next
Start with real transparency. The Mayor’s Office, NYCEDC and City Council budget staff should publish an itemized accounting of the 2017 La Marqueta allocation and confirm in writing whether any of that money will be used for the new grocery build. Freeze new spending until contracts and commitments are clear. If the city wants to help East Harlem, consider direct grants, targeted tax relief, and programs that help existing grocers lower prices and expand fresh food options — not a pricey municipal store that smells like politics. New Yorkers are right to ask: are we buying groceries for people, or golden doorknobs for a PR project? It’s time the city answered that question plainly.
