On Wednesday, November 15, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz helped break ground for Whole Foods Market, to mark the start of construction of the organic and natural foods retailer’s first Brooklyn outpost. Located at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 3rd Street in Gowanus, the 68,000-square-foot store will include a 430-car parking lot, and will feature unique Brooklyn touches like egg-cream and gelato stations.

The new store, scheduled to open in Spring 2008, will create 300 construction jobs, and more than 500 permanent jobs, and will feature a “Community Room” available to local civic groups. Designs for the store preserve the recently landmarked two-story, 19th century brick building situated at the property's corner and include a landscaped, publicly accessible 40-foot-wide waterfront esplanade along the Gowanus Canal.

“With more than 500 jobs, fresh produce, quality prepared foods, and a diverse array of products, Whole Foods Market will be a welcome anchor to the neighborhood we now call ‘Brooklyn’s Venice,’” said Borough President Markowitz. “As the newest waterfront addition knitting together the neighborhoods of Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, and Red Hook, we’re putting the ‘Go’ in Gowanus!”