Whole Foods can finally prepare to stock shelves in Brooklyn, near the Gowanus Canal.
After years of delays, the grocery store was approved today by the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals, the last obstacle before it received the green light to construct and build a 52,000-square-foot store.
Residents fought the store as recently as last week, saying the superstore would take space that could otherwise be used by industrial or small businesses.
The 52,000 square feet is a smaller size than the original 68,000-square-foot store initially planned, and it also includes a smaller parking lot and added greenhouse.
A Whole Foods spokesman said construction could begin as early as March for the store, which is scheduled to open next year.
Whole Foods officials envision the space as a “community center” for the neighborhood, suggesting that the store could include a building to train people in food production and culinary skills along with providing creative space.
