Whole Foods Tells Park Slope to Drop Dead (Again)

Brooklyn blogs may be reporting on the ongoing petition drive to convince Whole Foods to build a more environmentally-sensitive store in Gowanus (see examples here, here, here and here), but the big retailer has apparently already said no to the petition being circulated in the community. Ariella Cohen writes in the Brooklyn Paper:

Whole Foods’ corporate machine beat back a neighborhood green dream team this week, denying a petition from a civic group to shrink its parking lots and put an earth-friendly solar roof on its super-store, now under construction on Third Avenue at Third Street.

While the grocer hasn't responded to the Park Slope Neighbors petition, it apparently told Ms. Cohen it isn't interested in reducing parking on the site or including a green roof:

"We are confident that our parking plan, as currently designed, features the appropriate number of spaces," said spokesman Fred Shank.

He noted that the company considered topping the Third Avenue store with a green roof, a feature it used on other locations, but eventually determined that it "simply would not be feasible."

The positions re-state what corporate representatives told the Park Slope Civic Council in January when they rejected the same suggestions. Those rejections led the Park Slope Neighbors group to start the petition drive. The Whole Foods plan has also been questioned because of the site's environmental issues, including carcinogenic benzene, and because most of it would be below street level in a floodplain.

Related Posts:
Park Slope to Whole Foods: Be a Good (Green) Neighbor
Thumbs Down to Green Roof