'Frankly sickening' — Astoria lawmakers blast real estate firms over Key Food lease dispute

Four local lawmakers sent a letter to the property owner Thursday urging them to renew the grocery store’s lease. Eagle file photo by Jonathan Sperling

By David Brand

Four Astoria lawmakers have urged the real estate firms that control the site of a local Key Food to negotiate a new lease deal with the grocer before the store is forced to shut down amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter to the companies Jenel Real Estate and A&H Acquisition Corp., which act on behalf of the opaque LLC that owns the 31st Street building, State Sen. Michael Gianaris, State Sen. Jessica Ramos, Assemblymember Aravella Simotas and Councilmember Costa Constantinides urged the owners to offer at least a one-year lease to allow Key Food to remain in place. 

The property owners have reached an agreement with Target that may hinge on jettisoning the Key Food when its lease expires in October. 

Astoria, the lawmakers write “is at risk of losing an invaluable source of quality food and good union jobs — right in the middle of a global pandemic.”

The lawmakers sent the letter after the Eagle reported last week on the stalled lease negotiations between the property owners and Man-Dell Food Companies, which owns the Key Food.

“It was frankly sickening to read in the Queens Daily Eagle last week that you seem to prefer to evict Key Food, even as their employees continue to serve Astorians who desperately need nutritious fresh food,” the lawmakers wrote. 

The lease negotiations are “a model of what not to do in a time of crisis,” they added

Man-Dell Chairperson Larry Mandel said last week that his company has not heard from attorneys representing the property owners. He said he fears that the lease will expire, which would force the company to gradually lay off staff before the business is forced to leave the building for good.

The four elected officials said the store was vital to the neighborhood during the COVID-19 pandemic, as residents face food insecurity and limited access to groceries.

“While other small businesses have been forced to close or modify service, the workers at Key Food have continued to work long grueling shifts to make sure we are fed,” they wrote. “They have put their life on the line so that we can have food on the table.”

Jenel Real Estate and A&H Acquisition did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.