Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced plans Monday to open a 20,000-square-foot city-run grocery store in Hunts Point next year. The store would be located at The Peninsula, an affordable housing development in the South Bronx. The goal is to make groceries more affordable for residents. Mamdani says he wants to open one city-owned grocery store in each borough by the end of his first term. Plans for another location at La Marqueta in East Harlem have also been unveiled. La Marqueta was the first site selected to be one of the city’s stores, but it’s not expected to be the first one open — the city still needs to build out the store. Construction operations are estimated to cost $30 million. Some business leaders have raised concerns about the proposal, but the mayor says the project is moving forward. His economic development says it’s past time. “No family in the Bronx should have to choose between rent and groceries,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su. “This is what public investment looks like when it is done right — government setting the terms, holding to a timeline, and making sure the benefits reach the families who need them most.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by NBC New York (@nbcnewyork) What do we know about the stores? The first NYC-owned grocery store will be open by the end of 2027, Mamdani has said. Opening stores owned by the city was one of the mayor’s signature campaign pledges. La Marqueta was the first site selected to be one of the city’s stores, but it’s not expected to be the first one open — the city still needs to build out the store. Construction operations are estimated to cost $30 million. Mamdani says the site is already owned by New York City. The mayor plans to find a store in an existing building to get up and running by next year. All five would be open by the end of his first term in 2029. The grocery stores will be run by a third-party operator selected by the city. ...read more read less