Finally! Supermarket Coming Soon to Ashland

A new supermarket and CVS pharmacy will open within the next three to four months at Myrtle Avenue and Ashland Place, bringing two large chain stores to a stretch of Fort Greene that has been described as a “food desert” since 2007.

The new Red Apple supermarket will be about the size of two-and-a-half basketball courts and in the basement-level of The Andrea apartment building.

“For too long thousands of seniors and individuals with disabilities have had to walk significant distances to find basic goods and produce in that part of Fort Greene,” said District Leader Lincoln Restler. “This has the potential to address each and every one of those issues.”

The building and the supermarket are owned by the billionaire John Catsimatidis, who also owns the high-end Gristedes chain of supermarkets in Manhattan.

“It’s going to be one-stop shopping for health and beauty needs,” said Catsimatidis, “We’re building a neighborhood market.”

If the Red Apple turns out to be affordably priced, it will be most welcome to longtime residents of the Ingersoll Houses, Kingsview, and University Towers, who have not had a grocery store nearby since Catsimatidis bulldozed an Associated Supermarket four years ago to make way for his new building.

 “We’ll accommodate anybody,” Catsimatidis said. “It’s going to be competitively priced. The quality of meat will be the same quality as what we have at Gristedes.”

A community meeting is planned for next month with representatives from the grocery store as part of an effort to make sure the supermarket magnate keeps the food affordable.

“I’m looking forward to meeting with executives of the Red Apple Group to affirm their commitment to local hiring and fresh and organic food,” said Letitia James, D-Fort Greene, who will attend the meeting. “This market has been in the works for a while, and I’m certain the community will provide tremendous support when it opens.”

The meeting with Red Apple supermarket execs will be held on April 14 at 6:30 p.m. at 177 Myrtle Ave. near Prince Street in the library at the Ingersoll Community Center.