JBizNewsNYC lawmakers consider making Mamdani's city-owned grocery stores permanent
New York City Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez and some of her colleagues are pushing a proposal to require the establishment of at least five municipal grocery stores per borough.
The proposal comes as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration aims to establish one municipal grocery store in each of the Big Apple’s five boroughs by the end of his first term.
“Let’s make sure it’s not something that just our current mayor invests in, but something we can codify into in perpetuity,” Gutiérrez said, according to The City Reporter.
Fox News Digital reached out to Gutiérrez’s office on Friday to request a comment from the councilmember.
The proposal calls for the commissioner of small business services or the leader of a different agency designated by the mayor to create at least five grocery stores per borough “in consultation or partnership to the extent feasible with a contracted entity,” according to the measure.
A press release pertaining to the mayor’s effort earlier this year noted, “The city-owned grocery initiative is designed to lower costs on everyday staples by using public ownership to eliminate costs that are currently passed on to consumers.”
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“The initiative aims to deliver affordable, high-quality groceries that provide meaningful savings to New Yorkers and strengthen neighborhood food access citywide. Mayor Mamdani has allocated $70 million in capital funds for the development of the five sites,” the release noted.
“Under the model, the City will own the land and cover overhead costs like rent and construction. A private operator, selected through a request for proposals, will manage daily operations and be contractually required to pass savings directly to customers on a core basket of everyday staples,” the release explained.
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Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, took office this year after winning the New York City mayoral election last year while running as a Democrat.