The Last Meatpackers In Meatpacking District To Be Replaced With Major Housing Project

Mayor Eric Adams' administration has unveiled plans to remake 66K SF of the Meatpacking District into mixed-income housing and public space, known as Gansevoort Square.

In doing so, the city has ended its lease with the Gansevoort Meat Market early in a mutual agreement, City Hall announced Monday. The lease termination means the last businesses for which the area was named will have to find a new home.

In its place, the city plans to build 600 mixed-income housing units without public subsidy. The Whitney Museum of American Art and the High Line will also have the opportunity to expand in the development.

“The potential we have here is endless, and we’re excited to take the next steps towards turning our vision into a reality,” Adams said in a statement.

The lease for the seven meat companies in the Gansevoort Market Co-Op was previously set to expire in 2032, the New York Post reported. The market has been exploring moving to a new facility for the last decade, Gansevoort Market President John Jobbagy said in a statement.

“Many of our members are multigenerational family businesses, employing hundreds of dedicated New Yorkers who serve our city's restaurants and stores,” Jobbagy said. “With technological advances, our industry processing practices have changed, and the market building does not meet up-to-date standards for processing and distribution.”

Formerly known as the Gansevoort Farmers’ Market, the market has been crucial in the history of the Meatpacking District since the mid-1800s. In an effort to vitalize the area and create greater infrastructure in the city, the government spent nearly 50 years acquiring the waterfront land and building two large markets in the area, according to Village Preservation.

At its peak, there were 300 food companies in the area employing more than 2,000 people. In addition to feeding New Yorkers, the market distributed 75,000 pounds of meat and 11,000 pounds of fish, along with other produce, to Europe.

However, the Meatpacking District’s industrial past is long gone. Its cobblestone streets are now home to luxury stores, pricey apartments and trendy restaurants and clubs. 

The seven meatpackers who were left employed just 125 workers as of 2018, New York 1 reported.