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Last week, it was announced that the New Roc Stop & Shop on Harrison Street in New Rochelle will be closing next February, the company announced this week, and the New Rochelle City Council will now begin searching for a new business to replace it.
Those talks were expected to take place at a City Council meeting this week, but following the backlash from members of the community, the item was removed from Tuesday’s agenda to give officials more time to discuss alternatives for the location.
The Stop & Shop location on Palmer Avenue will remain open, as will nearby locations on East Boston Post Road in Mamaroneck and East Sandford Boulevard in Mount Vernon. The company noted that employees will have the opportunity to transfer to other local stores once the New Roc store closes.
"After a thorough review of the operating performance of our stores, we have made the difficult decision not to renew our lease at 28 Harrison St. in New Rochelle," Stop & Shop officials said in a released statement. "Our intent is to operate the store through February 28, 2020, the end of the lease, after which we will close this location.”
When the news first broke, New Rochelle City Councilman Jared Rice, whose district includes New Roc, called it “distressing” that Stop & Shop plans to shutter its doors next year.
“It is distressing to hear that Stop & Shop plans to no longer have a location on Harrison Street, right in the heart of our downtown,” he said. “For current area residents, we want our downtown to be a walkable and livable environment. While I understand that the trend is for less big box retail stores to be located within urban corridors, we must find a solution to prevent this portion of our city from becoming a food desert.”
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