Fort Greene-Clinton Hill Week In Review

A look at the top stories happening in and around the neighborhood.

Monday After years of waiting, local elected officials hailed this week's opening of Red Apple Supermarket at The Andrea in Fort Greene. Tuesday After years of calls for protected spaces, the City Council gears up for public debate on a proposed Residential Parking Permit program. Wednesday With the summer buying season over, a look at some of the most expensive homes to hit the market in the past month. Thursday In wake of series of allegations involving officers, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries joins other Brooklyn pols to demand an independent investigative commission. Friday Taking a break from news of lingering unemployment, rising poverty rates and sovereign debt crises—all in 140 characters or less. Saturday The Internal Revenue Service…

Price Check On Aisle Nine: Red Apple Put To the Test

How does new supermarket stack up against two other local grocers?

Now it's time to look that gift-horse in the mouth. A day after Red Apple Supermarket finally opened its doors at The Andrea on Myrtle Avenue across the street from Fort Greene Houses, Patch made its first visit to the grocer to answer one question: How do Red Apple’s prices for everyday household consumables stack up against other supermarkets in Fort Greene-Clinton Hill? And we should say, Red Apple did pretty well in the price department, beating or matching local competitors Associated and Bravo supermarkets in four out of five categories—however, strangely not in terms of actual red apples. What was immediately noticeable was the Red Apple's escalator being out-of-service on the second day of shopping at the below-grade market (see …

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'Food Desert' No More: Red Apple Supermarket Opens In Fort Greene

Ribbon cutting ceremony held at Myrtle Ave location Monday morning.

For the residents of Fort Greene Houses, it was all treats and no tricks this Halloween morning. Red Apple Supermarket officially opened its doors with a ribbon cutting ceremony at The Andrea on Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene. District Leader Lincoln Restler, who attended today's unveiling, praised the new grocer as an example of what can be accomplished when the community teams up with the private sector. "What we've got now is a supermarket that belongs to everyone," Restler said. Today's opening capped years of waiting on the part of thousands of mostly low-income residents who saw their neighborhood Associated supermaket torn down in 2006 by developer and Gristedes owner John Castimatidis. The years since have been marked by public …

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Community Leaders Hopeful That Red Apple Owner Will Keep Promises

Say success of soon-to-be-opened supermarket will rest on affordability.

The supermarket for which Fort Greene Houses residents have been waiting years may now be only more than a week away. Red Apple Supermarket, located at The Andrea building on Myrtle Avenue, has been given a tentative opening date of Oct. 31, according to a source at the Gristedes organization, which owns the store. While the imminent arrival of Red Apple is good news for residents tired of walking or taking car service trips to the Associated Supermarket at Atlantic Terminal, stakeholders involved in the process still wonder if real estate developer and Gristedes owner John Castimatidis will keep all of his promises to the community. Chief on that list of promises is affordability. "The success or failure of the store is going to come down…

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Red Apple Supermarket Hires 55 Local Workers

Soon-to-be-opened grocer interviewed dozens of applicants at job fair at Fort Greene Houses this week.

Finally there's some good news for the residents of Fort Greene Houses. Despite word last July that priority for hiring would not be given to local jobseekers, owners of Red Apple Supermarket on Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene seemed poised to deliver the goods upon the grocer's much anticipated grand opening later this year. Of 76 potential local candidates, 55 have begun the hiring process, according to Renee Flores, executive director of human resources and asset management at the Red Apple Group. Most of those hires attended a special job fair Monday at Ingersoll Community Center in Fort Greene Houses, Flores said. District Leader Lincoln Restler called news of the hiring a "tremendous victory" for a community suffering from persistently …

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Mini-Walmarts On Tap For Downtown Brooklyn? Not So Fast, Retailer Says

Low-cost giant dismisses report on possible locations for scaled-down superstores.

According to a report today in The Brooklyn Paper, Walmart may be looking to open scaled-down versions of its traditional big box superstores throughout the borough. Possible locations named in the report include Gold Street at Tillary Street and Duffield Street between Willoughby Street and Fulton Mall in Downtown Brooklyn. The stores would be "about five times the size of a 7-11, yet half the size of a Pathmark," according to the story. Community Board 2 district manager Robert Ferris confirmed that both locations have the requisite commercial zoning in place to house a retailer roughly the size of a mini-Walmart. However, Ferris expressed doubt that the low-cost giant would "float a trial balloon" for the scaled-down stores in the press…

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Seen In Fort Greene

Seen in Fort Greene

Tuesday's edition of our photo trivia quiz.

Can you guess where the above picture was taken? Correct answers will help you earn the respect of your neighbors and go far towards your becoming an expert in all things Fort Greene. The full picture will be posted in Wednesday's edition of Seen in Fort Greene. Monday's answer was the soon to open Red Apple Supermarket located at Myrtle Avenue and Ashland Place. Good luck figuring out today's challenge and be sure to check back every weekday afternoon for more installments of Seen In Fort Greene.

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5 Things You Need To Know Today

July 19: Fresh Fruit and Vegetables At Fort Greene Houses? You Bet

Weekly market takes place at 4 p.m. at Ingersoll Community Center.

Fort Greene residents looking forward to the long-awaited opening of Red Apple Supermarket don't need to wait until its scheduled opening date in September.  On Tuesdays through Oct. 25, fruits and vegetables from a variety of upstate New York farms will available smack dab in the middle of Fort Greene Houses—one of the most underserved places in the borough when it comes to fresh produce.  Staffed by local residents, the Myrtle Avenue Farm Stand not only offers veggies and fruit, but also honey from upstate Chemung County and fresh bread made locally by baker Adrienne Braxton. And today, Myrtle Eats Fresh Community Chef Beryl Benbow will be demonstrating a healthy, affordable recipe using farm fresh ingredients. For more info, visit …

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Corey

2:37 pm on Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The Ingersoll garden is really impressive.   more ›

Area Residents Will Not Get Priority For Red Apple Supermarket Jobs

Company representatives say laid-off workers elsewhere in the city to get first dibs at 100 positions at the long-promised Myrtle Avenue grocer.

For residents eagerly awaiting the arrival of badly-needed fruit and vegetables—not to mention jobs—it was an important first step. Beginning this week, the office of Councilwoman Letitia James, D-Brooklyn, will be accepting applications on behalf of the Red Apple supermarket slated to open this September in The Andrea building at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Ashland Place.  That's the good news.  Now make room for the not-so-good: according to representatives of the Red Apple Group, laid-off workers elsewhere in city, many of whom are members of UFCW Local 1500, will get first dibs on the approximately 100 positions created at the new market.  While those union rules provide important protections for existing workers, that means there …

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