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GREENBURGH, N.Y. The old A&P building in the Crossroads Shopping Center has been vacant since April 2011 and Greenburgh residents have expressed their desire for a replacement grocery store.
When the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company announced the closing of its A&P on Tarrytown Road and the Pathmark on Central Avenue, Greenburgh residents worried about their nearby shopping options. The large A&P was a grocery haven for many residents due to its location and selection.
"No question, the neighborhood truly needs another all-purpose [grocer] not a "specialty" market at the site of the former A&P supermarket," said Gayle Williams, a resident of Hillside Avenue. "We are lacking in food price competition, and the closest A&P on Knollwood Road has a very limited and disappointing selection."
Last year, the town was in talks with a supermarket to take the place of the old A&P, said Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner. The company wanted to expand the space from 70,000-feet to 90,000-feet, which the lot allows on the east end of the shopping complex. However, by fall, the negotiations had ended.
"How about ShopRite?" said Carole Sindell, a Winding Ridge resident. "Boy, do we need a decent supermarket nearby."
When the A&P closed in April, the town asked K-Mart, also located in the Crossroads Shopping Plaza, to expand its food section. Feiner said he worried that lower-income and elderly residents in the Fairview area, who do not have their own transportation, will no longer have a place close by to purchase groceries.
In October, the lot was rented out to a pop-up Halloween-themed store, which became empty, after the frightful holiday, in early November. Since then, the town has not been able to lock in another permanent tenant.
"I would like to see a Panera's Bakery Cafe or Cosi and a medical spa," said Sheri Trupp, leaning away from the general consensus of a supermarket.
Nadezda Pettignano, a resident of Hartsdale, said that she would like to see a playing center for children. Pettignano once owned a small business in Greenburgh before rent became too much to afford. A play center, she said, has the potential to bring in endless revenue.
"A giant sports center filled with bouncy houses, various games and perhaps programs for kids, such as indoor soccer or baseball," said Pettignano. "A store for kid's activities seems to never fail. But you can't make the rent so high that it's impossible for the store owners to survive."
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