Grocery signals bright future for Binghampton

What is the best way to bring an end to a food desert? Plant an oasis of food availability in the middle of the abyss.

In Binghampton, that absence of convenient groceries will be replaced by a Save-A-Lot grocery store, which will see construction begin this summer at the corner of Sam Cooper Boulevard and Tillman Street. Phase one construction will take about 12 months to complete.

The lease was signed in January for a 16,000-square-foot store. The grocer is the first and main anchor of the Binghampton Gateway Center. Noah Gray, Executive Director of the Binghampton Development Corp., said he hopes a lease will be signed soon with a second anchor that focuses on household goods.

“Every conversation I’ve been in for a year it comes up,” Gray said. “It’s great to say Save-A-Lot. It’s a great fit for the neighborhood.”

The possible household goods store will take up about 10,000 square feet. A third building will bring 7,100 additional square feet of shops and retail space that can be broken down into a variety of possibilities.

The process to create a retail center in Binghampton began six years ago. The land acquisition took place over seven deals beginning in 2012.

When the grocery opens next year, it will signal a new day for the community, especially its seniors who currently catch multiple city buses to get to a grocer.

Gray said almost 30 percent of the households in the neighborhood don’t have a vehicle, so having a grocery store that’s near home will be a game-changer.

“This is a significant quality of life impact for these folks,” Gray said. “It’s food access. It’s jobs. Then it’s intangibles like hope. It’s investment that’s never been made in Binghampton before. It’s blight turned into hope.”

Linkous Construction is the contractor and Fleming Architects is the architect.