Eight Years After Extell, Still No Supermarket for Two Bridges

With One Manhattan Square an eyesore of the Lower East Side skyline for so long, it’s almost impossible to remember what came before. Almost.

Indeed, it’s been eight years since Pathmark officially closed its doors, leaving the surrounding Two Bridges community bereft of an affordable supermarket.

For much of the local population, a walk to Metro Acres or Trader Joe’s is too far.

Toward the end of summer 2012, rumors swirled about Pathmark’s demise. It ultimately came to fruition in October of that year, when corporate announced the closure. At the same time, Extell was busy closing on the property for a gargantuan $175 million sum. Then, just a few weeks later, on October 29, Hurricane Sandy surged the East River five feet onto the promenade and subsequently flooded the entirety of the Pathmark plaza.

After Hurricane Sandy hit, Oct. 2012

The grocery closed soon after.

Community organizations and politicians rushed to create services that would assist the population in finding fresh groceries.

Still nothing.

During every step of the planning and execution process, the folks at Extell, often cagey with the community, reassured locals that an affordable grocer would return to the spot.

Yet, here we are, eight years later, and still no closer to that goal.