Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced today Gotham Greens, a pioneer in the field of urban agriculture and a leading regional producer of local vegetables and herbs, opened its newly built 60,000-square-foot facility located on Jamaica Avenue in the Hollis section of Queens.
“Gotham Greens’ expansion into Queens is creating jobs and offering New Yorkers’ greater access to healthy, locally grown produce,” Governor Cuomo said. “By partnering with local businesses that utilize energy-saving practices, we are helping them expand their operations while growing the economy, and building a sustainable future for New Yorkers.”
The facility nearly triples the amount of award-winning, local produce Gotham Greens can provide to New York Tri-State area consumers, and together with its new, nearly two-acre rooftop greenhouse in Chicago, it represents an almost 400 percent expansion of Gotham Greens’ business overall.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority provided $1 million in funding towards the project to expand the greenhouse and help Gotham Greens reduce its energy consumption. These funds helped pay for the installation of high-efficiency lighting, cooling and automated crop production systems. Energy efficiency is a major component of Governor Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) to build a clean, resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers, as the State works to reduce energy use in buildings by 23 percent by 2030.
New York State Empire State Development is also providing Gotham Greens with up to $152,000, in Excelsior Jobs Program Tax Credits in exchange for Gotham Greens’ commitment to create and sustain a minimum of 46 full-time jobs through 2024. They are currently at 40 full time jobs and expect to exceed more than 50 in the next few months.
Through its proprietary growing methods, Gotham Greens yields up to 30 times more crop per acre than conventional agriculture. In addition, Gotham Greens eliminates the food waste and environmental footprint linked to shipping produce long distances, and the company's comprehensive food safety program minimizes the risk of food-borne pathogens, including E coli, Salmonella and Listeria.
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