Gratuitous Rumor Mill: Is Gowanus Whole Foods Toast or Growing?

Last week, we walked past the Whole Foods site in Gowanus (or is it Park Slope?) for one of our periodic looks to see what's happening or not happening with one of Brooklyn's more eagerly anticipated grocery stores. (It should add at least 2-3 percent to asking prices in Park Slope and launch the Gowanus boom.) What we found was a site on which nothing has happened in months, a wasteland of empty nothingness. Except that vegetation now appears to be growning in the huge pool of water from groundwater seepage that we call Lake Gowanus.

The adjacent properties are vacant, and part of the former Red Hook Crushers property was roped off with yellow tape because of a collapsing wall.

So, why are we relating this? Because a tipster emailed us to say that they understand the project is gourmet toast. As in, "I just heard a rumor that the Whole Foods at 3rd & Third isn't going to happen after all." Yes, we note the use of the word "rumor."

What's interesting is that a different tipster to Curbed, relating comments that Whole Foods' President/COO made at a meeting in San Francisco mentioned the opening of stores in Tribeca and at the Bowery & Houston, and even in London, but said nothing about Brooklyn. More likely, though, is that Whole Foods is getting ready to present its plans to expand the Third Avenue and Third Street site to include the adjacent properties, which has long been said to be the most logical option for building on the site. We do know that the Gowanus site has some fairly monstrous toxics issues, including "volatile organics," and that remediation will take some time, and that the earliest a store would open is 2008, which could be very optimistic.

Here's hoping that someone fills the obvious needs in the Brooklyn grocery market. Eventually, the trips to the Fairway in Red Hook are going to get old.

Related Posts:
Gowanus Whole Foods Environmental Update: Yummy
Another Brooklyn Food Miracle: Whole Foods to Open in Dumbo