Once Again, Gowanus Concerns Delay Brooklyn Whole Foods

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Whole Foods has run into obstacle after obstacle on its seven-year quest to build a Brooklyn location, so nobody should be too surprised that the process just hit another speed bump. The latest, though, does feel awfully ironic. According to The Brooklyn Paper, the Board of Standards and Appeals denied Whole Foods its zoning variance last week because its current layout could get in the way of Gowanus Canal clean-up efforts. This delay comes after years of setbacks in which Whole Foods itself was trying to clean up the site.

Board members meet again on January 24, and Whole Foods seems confident that they'll be able to convince them that they have the area's best environmental interests in mind. Spokesman Michael Sinatra told the paper that the company still plans on an early 2013 opening.
· City blocks Whole Foods til grocer proves it won't mess up the Gowanus [BP]
· Clean-up done, but Whole Foods isn't sure about Gowanus site [BP]
· Brooklyn's First Whole Foods: It's Really Happening! [Racked NY]