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Read the press release here.

New Bank of America Branch to Open on Upper West Side

The northeast corner of West 81st Street and Broadway will soon be home to a new Bank of America branch.
The northeast corner of West 81st Street and Broadway will soon be home to a new Bank of America branch.
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DNAinfo/Leslie Albrecht

UPPER WEST SIDE — Bank of America plans to open a new branch on the corner of West 81st Street and Broadway next year, a spokesman said.

The 5,000-square-foot "banking center" will replace a Hale & Hearty Soups and Price Wise discount drugstore at the site.

Hale & Hearty moved to 2286 Broadway at West 82nd Street, and the Price Wise relocated to West 84th Street and Broadway, according to signs in the windows of the empty storefronts.

The new Bank of America branch has a tentative opening date of summer or fall 2012, a spokesman said.

A block away, on West 80th Street and Broadway, plans are under way to move a bank into the space once occupied by H&H Bagels, a representative of the bagel company told DNAinfo.

City planners recently studied the Upper West Side and found that banks are booming. For instance, there are 26 banks or other financial institutions on one 20-block stretch of Broadway.

Local officials have expressed worries about the trend, noting that banks don't bring enough foot traffic or visual interest to create a vibrant streetscape.

Community Board 7 members and City Councilwoman Gale Brewer are pushing for new zoning rules that would limit the size of banks. If the rules go into effect, banks on Broadway wouldn't be allowed to take up more than 25 feet of streetfront space.