CLINTON HILL — The city put the final nail in the coffin for Clinton Hill's Key Food, capping a racially tinged battle to retain the grocery store.
The Department of Buildings recently approved the full demolition of the popular supermarket located at 325 Lafayette Ave., near the corner of Grand Avenue, according to records.
The building will be demolished in late summer or early fall.
Slate Property Group, which purchased the property earlier this year, plans to build an eight-story condo building in its place. The new building would have 113 residential units, 20 percent of which would be affordable, and retail space on the ground floor.
Slate Principal David Schwartz said he would like to retain the grocery store in the bottom floor of the building if possible, but the entire project is still in the planning stages.
The new building application is pending zoning approval, according to DOB records.
The demolition of the grocery store concerned many locals who said there is lack of food markets in the neighborhood.
"For many older residents in the neighborhood, this supermarket is the only place that is close enough for them to safely walk and buy groceries," Public Advocate Letitia James, who lives in the neighborhood, said in a statement. "It's an unfortunate abuse of power that this landlord is taking that away."
The only other large-scale grocery store in the area is the C-Town on Taafe Place and DeKalb Avenue.
The store circulated petitions to customers in an effort keep it open.
State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery reportedly said that she feared the closure because "white people don't eat the way we do."
She later apologized for the comment.
