Acme Smoked Fish will officially remain in Greenpoint, serving as the anchor tenant in a new $550 million mixed-use development approved today by the full New York City Council.
This approval is seen as a big step forward in helping New York City’s recovery from the pandemic, with up to 2000 new jobs expected in the new development’s commercial spaces. Acme will also be able to retain its local workforce, which employs over 100 union workers.
Acme’s new standalone factory will be a four story, approximately 95,300 sq. ft. fish smoking and packaging plant, plus an adjacent nine story, 454,600 sq. ft. commercial development with open workspaces, natural light, unobstructed waterfront views, and 33,800 sq. ft. of ground floor neighborhood retail space.
“From its skilled workforce to its vibrant culture, being in Brooklyn has always been central to this company’s success, and we’re thrilled to now have the opportunity to not only remain here in the borough, but to also expand our operations as we continue to grow with the neighborhood we’ve called home for generations,” said Adam Caslow, co-CEO and fourth generation owner of Acme Smoked Fish.
“Our small business community has been walloped by COVID-19, and though the impacts have been inequitably distributed, few businesses have been spared from the economic fallout. A real recovery must ensure support for our local businesses, which give our neighborhoods their unique character, while attracting burgeoning industries that will power our economy in the future,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “Acme Smoked Fish’s expanded facility will help boost local employment, while accommodating growth that is critical to helping Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and New York City thrive. With an end of this pandemic in sight, now is the time for proactive steps to bring our economy back stronger and more equitable than ever,”
The project will also create a pedestrian-friendly gateway, adding about a half acre of tree-lined open space to link McCarren Park and the future Bushwick Inlet Park.
Rubenstein Partners and Gensler, the developer and architect firms behind 25 Kent, are working together on this project, dubbed “10 Wythe” for its 3-acre location on the block at Wythe Ave., Gem St., Banker St., and Meserole Ave.
“Acme Smoked Fish has been an integral partner in our community now for four generations,” said City Council Member Stephen Levin. “It supports more than one hundred good union jobs, and is a great source of pride that Brooklynites share with people all around the world who love their smoked fish products. I’m confident that we reached a plan that will help Acme grow their community presence, while ensuring that this space remains industrial, and a generator of good, middle-class jobs, for long into the future.”
Construction is expected to begin in Fall 2021 and Acme Smoked Fish is expected to move into its new home by late 2024. The full development is slated to be completed by mid-2025.
Seems a little “fishy” to me. Completed in 2025? How about 2035 the way these things go. By then Greenpoint will b. bankrupt with the countless hi rise lux condos/rentals going up that nobody can afford.