Key Food on Washington and Lincoln has sold, residential building and grocery store in the works

whynot_31

801 Washington

Building includes The Islands, a small drug store, and a bodega.

Terms of the sale are said to be $12M, and allow Key Food to occupy the first floor of the building that will be constructed after the present building is demolished.     Key Food reportedly must vacate by Jan 1, 2017.    

New building is believed to be able to be 7 stories, but I need to check the Zoning map to confirm same.

Source is historically very reliable, but I'll get confirmation from the owners when I get a chance.

whynot_31

Zoning is R7A.

 http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/zoning/zoning-maps/map16c.pdf

Which is likely to produce a 6 -7 story building

http://www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/zoning/districts-tools/r7.page?tab=2

http://maps.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/template?applicationName=ZOLA&searchType=AddressSearch&addressNumber=801&street=Washington Avenue&borough=Brooklyn

This lot is 7400 Sq ft, and it has a FAR of 4.0.    So, if the first floor remains commercial, the developer would have about 21,000 BSF for residential.

....more if they include below market housing or buy air rights from one of the surrounding buildings.

Hence, while this is likely to be a pretty big building, it does not appear as if it will be at the level of the Big 18 I track:  http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/47007/the-big-18-developments-the-whynot-31-wont-stop-talking-about?new=1

goldemi1

Pretty big news for people who may rely on that market, though there's a better one up the street (which is doing a dance of joy right now).   This creates more of a food desert for people, given the limited options.  

I do the coop, but wondering where most people are buying their groceries in the neighborhood.  

whynot_31

Compare and NSA are popular, local full size grocery store alternatives to Key.

BTW, the owner of the small pharmacy confirms the above account.   He is reportedly scoping out new spaces on Franklin to move to. 

ehgee

I hope The Islands makes the leap to a new space successfully.

But the Key Food ain't much to miss.

goldemi1

Ah why_not I had a brain-fart and totally forgot about Compare, my go-to when i don't want to go to the coop.  

whynot_31

In approximately late 2019, I suspect the Key Food will return in a much more upscale form.... 

empost

If the same owners of Key Food return - I hope they come back with a commitment to cleanliness, customer service and pricing that doesn't change from the shelf to the till!!!  I've never understood why a franchise like that doesn't follow up on their licensees?

I also hear from a good source that Union Market is opening a Prospect Heights branch - yay!!!

whynot_31

Yes, two Union Market locations are in the works:   One at 342 Flatbush near the 7th Ave Q station.   https://commercialobserver.com/2015/09/union-market-soulcycle-opening-ink-leases-for-brooklyn-building/

And the other will be in the building under construction at Bedford and Eastern Parkway: http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/44338/here-comes-1519-bedford-between-eastern-parkway-and-lincoln-formerly-a-gas-station-and-a-car-wash/p2

I suspect Key Food has lost a lot of its most discerning and profitable customers as such boutique grocery stores arrive, and the area's "regular" supermarkets have upped their cleanliness and service. 

Mechanical_Whispers

Key Food was good in a pinch, but man, the staff there was terrible! I've been pushed out of the way in an aisle as some dude/kid who works there rushes by playing with some bit of container. (I think he didn't actually work there, but was a manager's son or something). And the cash register clerks never seemed to pay attention to what they were doing. Back when I went there on a more regular basis, it was often a game to see if they would look at me at all during the checkout process. Most times, no.

I would have liked to support this store better, but being treated poorly as a customer doesn't make me feel like I will miss it.

laddhalsey

I agree with Mechanical Whispers about the "look at me" game.  I feel bad for the check out girls sometimes... One had to negotiate with customers so that she could take a bathroom break.  It seems like that's managements job?  I am a Food Coop person but do buy toilet paper and paper towels at this Key Food though I avoid it mostly because of the unfriendly-weird vibe there. 

whynot_31

I avoid it due to the vibe, as well as the cleanliness and the crowded aisles.

A little back of the napkin math indicates that the developer only secured about 21,000 BSF with their $12M 

....which means that to-be-built the condos will cost about $571 PSF in land costs alone.  

I think it is reasonable to believe they will come in around $1500 a SF when it is all said and done. 

Bob_Loblaw

I won't miss Key Foods, but The Islands is a real loss.  I hope they find a new home.  

whynot_31

Update:

I just spoke with one of the family members that own Key Food.   He confirmed it has sold, and explained that they have a contract to purchase the first floor of the new building as condo.

The residential portion of the building will be 7 - 8 stories, with an underground parking lot.   The entrance to the parking lot will be on Lincoln.    The units are likely to be condos.

The building will have a glass front, so the units can see the museum.   The days of the fabric/plastic Key Food awning will end.

He believes they will be able to stay for about a year, but this depends upon how quickly the developer receives DOB appoval for the plans and gets a demolition permit.   

 ...when he has to go, he has to go.

He stated that the present store is owned and operated by a large number of family members, and that some of them have chosen to take the payout and won't be involved in operating the new store once it re-opens.    The new store may or may not be known as a "Key Food".

He has had numerous lawyers read the contracts to ensure that he and all of the family members understand what will (and will not) happen. 

mugofmead111

Too bad the market won't be a Trader Joe's.

crownheightster

It is great to hear that the family had good lawyers watching out for them to make sure they are making a good and informed decision. Key Food family = winners!

whynot_31

Key Food Family = Othman Family

People loved to complain about their store on Yelp, but it continued to do a brisk business.   I suspect that is due to it's location.   As Yelp reviewers pointed out, it wasn't selection, service, freshness or price.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/key-food-supermarket-brooklyn-5?sort_by=date_desc

whynot_31

Press:  http://patch.com/new-york/brooklyn/s/fvav9/crown-heights-key-food-to-close-re-open-in-2019-inside-new-residential-building

whynot_31

Attn The Islands:    I wish you had the resources to move to the space formerly occupied by Janelle's, down the street:  http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/comment/571004#Comment_571004

naturegirlbk

Ahhhh...the Islands moving to the Janelle's space would be amazing! And im quite sure they'd be packed all the time, if they did. Yum.

whynot_31

Despite their tiny space, The Islands had far more of a take out business and sit-down business than Janelle's.

Unaware readers:    The Islands utilizes a two floor space that might be a total of 300 sq ft.     

whynot_31

I am pleased to report that The Islands is -indeed- moving to the former Janelle's space.

A development that is worthy of a new thread:  http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/47276/confirmed-the-islands-will-relocate-to-671-washington-former-site-of-janelles?new=1

crownheightster

Hooray!

Vanderbilly

Miss Cleo over here.

Good call, and great news!

whynot_31

Rachel:

https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20161018/crown-heights/key-food-washington-avenue-lincoln-place

whynot_31

The developer seems to have bought air rights from an adjoining building, meaning that they plan to go as high as 8 stories, not 7.

http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/10/eight-story-54-unit-mixed-use-building-planned-at-801-washington-avenue-crown-heights.html

whynot_31

Plans filed:
Quote...

In August, the owners of the Key Food at 801 Washington Avenue in Crown Heights announced plans to shutter the store on the corner of Lincoln Place to make way for a residential building. Now applications have been filed with the Department of Buildings for the nine-story project, which will have a main address at 805 Washington Avenue.

Fortunately, the longtime owners of the supermarket decided to not to sell the property, instead unloading the air rights to a developer. The Key Food will re-open in a slightly larger space on the ground floor of the new building in 2019, according to Patch.

The plans filed yesterday call for 37 apartments and 46,572 square feet of residential space, creating typical apartments measuring 1,258 square feet. The ground floor would hold the 5,900-square-foot grocery store, followed by four to five units apiece on the upper stories. There would be a 19-car garage in the cellar.

In exchange for keeping the grocery store, the developer gets extra floor area, a reduction in parking requirements, and a tax break that lasts up to 25 years.

DJLU Architects applied for the permits.

The developer is Levi Balkany of Happy Living Development, but the Othman family, which has owned the property for 40 years, still control the property. The Othmans have struck a deal to sell the air rights to Balkany, DNAinfo reported. But no transfers or sales have hit hte public records yet.

The family’s 7,400-square-foot site includes the Key Food, The Islands Caribbean restaurant, a deli, and a pharmacy. All three stores will close by February or March 2017, and construction is scheduled to begin a few months later.

http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/11/permits-filed-for-apartments-to-replace-crown-heights-key-food-at-805-washington-avenue.html

805 Washington
801 Washington

whynot_31

Interestingly, the site is also advertised as being for sale as joint venture: http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/19927081/805-Washington-Avenue-Brooklyn-NY/

whynot_31

Today, the owners stated the store will now stay open until April or May and do not seem to have a new chain/brand lined up: http://patch.com/new-york/prospectheights/washington-avenue-key-food-will-stay-open-until-spring-owner

Link to DOB:   http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobsQueryByNumberServlet?requestid=1&passjobnumber=321478548&passdocnumber=01

whynot_31

I was in the store tonight, and it is clear they are no longer restocking some merchandise.   The shelves have some free space.

Although I shop here on occasion, I can't say I will miss it.

Rick656

That Patch article notes that the Key Food owner is reaching out to Trader Joe's. That would be AMAZING and surely would be packed like all their other NY locations.  Not sure whether that space is big enough though.  Traders are usually in bigger digs.