For a neighborhood that prides itself on being green, Battery Park City is a difficult place to find fresh produce — but that could be changing.
Greenmarket, which runs dozens of markets around the city, is considering a new site in Battery Park City, said Cathy Chambers, Greenmarket’s director of operations.
The location, days and fresh-food vendors are still under review, Chambers said. Possible locations include the plaza between North Cove and the World Financial Center, and the cul-de-sac where S. End Ave. ends.
Percy Corcoran, a longtime neighborhood resident who spent over 10 years fighting for the recently opened B.P.C. library, has made the Greenmarket her new cause.
“Now that the library is done, I wanted to get going on some other stuff that is on the to-do list for the community,” Corcoran said. “I just love the Greenmarket — I go to the one in Zuccotti Park all the time, but we need one close to home.”
Chambers got a positive reception when she mentioned the idea at a meeting of Community Board 1’s Quality of Life Committee last week.
“A lot of people live there and complain about the supermarkets,” said Noah Pfefferblit, C.B. 1’s district manager.
Corcoran said that while the Gristedes supermarkets are good for basics like milk, the produce is often expensive and not high quality.
Jim Cavanaugh, president of the Battery Park City Authority, said in a statement to Downtown Express that a Greenmarket “would be a great thing for the neighborhood.”
“It fits in with our model of sustainability since it facilitates locally grown food,” Cavanaugh said.
Community Board 1 will discuss the Greenmarket at the next B.P.C. Committee meeting, likely May 4. Corcoran wants to hear from other residents about which days of the week they would like to see a market. She is hoping for at least one weekday and one weekend day.
If the B.P.C. Greenmarket takes off, it could attract customers from outside the neighborhood as well.
“That would be great,” said Diane Lapson, president of the tenant association at Tribeca’s Independence Plaza North, next to the Washington Market Park Greenmarket. “I’d actually go to Battery Park City.”
— Julie Shapiro
