Photo by Mr. Adrian Camera. Photo courtesy of Flickr Commons.

By Paul Bisceglio

South Bronx residents and community groups filed a lawsuit last Wednesday to halt online grocery delivery service FreshDirect’s relocation from Queens to a new 500,000 square-foot facility in the Harlem River Yards. The residents argued that the city failed to account for the new facility’s adverse environmental effects, the consequence of what residents claim will be the grocery deliverers’ nearly 2,000 daily truck trips.

In February, the announcement of FreshDirect’s move won the praise of city and state officials, who were happy they did not lose the company to New Jersey, according to the New York Times. Locals in the proposed construction area, however, were unwilling to add to neighborhood’s already high levels of noise, pollution and asthma.

The lawsuit was filed in the State Supreme Court in the Bronx. Its defendants include the New York City Industrial Development Agency, FreshDirect and Harlem River Yard Ventures, the Times reports.

FreshDirect contended that the residents’ delivery truck figures were grossly exaggerated. “FreshDirect has 225 trucks and does not come close to making 2,000 trips per day,” a representative told New York Press.

The grocery delivery service also issued the following statement: “Contrary to the assertions made in the recent lawsuit, a thorough environmental impact review commissioned by FreshDirect was already conducted. It showed the new facility will generate far fewer truck trips and result in less traffic when compared to the 1993 approved uses of the Harlem River Yard.”

The lawsuit, however, aims to annul a declaration by the Industrial Development Agency that affirmed FreshDirect’s negligible environmental impact.  If the suit succeeds, FreshDirect would be forced to reevaluate its effects on the environment.

Critics have blasted FreshDirect’s government-subsidized move from Queens to the Bronx as a waste of taxpayer dollars with little benefit to local residents, as well as a serious health issue since more delivery trucks could exacerbate the borough’s already high asthma rates. So this week the online grocer is striking back with a new web site, www.freshdirectfacts.com, which defends the $127.8 million in city and state subsidies and posts a slew of positive newspaper editorials, supportive quotes and upbeat press releases. The web site also touts 3,000 “good-paying jobs” created or retained, the development of greener trucks and the economic boost from construction and other jobs. “One of the things the site does is address misinformation around FreshDirect’s move to the Bronx,” a company spokesman said. But critics remain unmoved. “I think they’re trying to make up for the fact that they’re just not a good corporate citizen,” Bettina Damiani, of Good Jobs New York, said after perusing the site. “They threatened to go to New Jersey unless New Yorkers gave them more money.”

This piece first appeared in City & State’s Heard Around Town, April 24, 2012. To read more from City & State click here.