By Ted Ryan
The Mineola Village Board is weighing approval of a plan to open a new supermarket at the former site of a King Kullen supermarket.
Weilin Zhang of Maspeth, Queens is seeking to open a 12th grocery store under the Super FL Market umbrella at 52 Jericho Turnpike in Mineola, a building that’s been vacant since King Kullen closed there in October 2014.
Super FL Market owns 11 supermarkets in New York and Philadelphia, all with different names, Zhang said. Zhang’s supermarket business has been in operation for 25 years, he said.
The new store would be similar to the King Kullen that it would replace, but with more fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood, Zhang said.
“It is going to be normal, not too high- or low-end, it’s just like a Pathmark or Key Food, but we’re going to stretch is out, make it a little bigger, and we’ll focus more on freshness of fruits and vegetables as well,” Zhang told the Village Board on Wednesday.
Zhang said the market would likely be open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
Village trustees expressed concerns about how much garbage the market would produce, where the garbage would be stored and how often it would be picked up.
Zhang said he doesn’t currently have a schedule with a garbage company, but will be in discussion with one to create a schedule that the board approves.
Zhang said he thinks the opening a new supermarket would be beneficial for Mineola.
“We could really help the economy of Mineola,” he said. “It’s a very large place so we will employ a lot of locals.”
The Village Board tabled Zhang’s application on Wednesday for action at a later meeting.
Zhang said he plans to open his market five to six months after the application is approved.
Also on Wednesday, the board approved a plan for a new Long Island Bagel Café at 175 E. Jericho Turnpike.
The Long Island Bagel Café has been in business since 1999 and currently has eight locations on Long Island, said Robert J. Deleo Jr., a representative for the business.
The café’s new location on East Jericho Turnpike was previously a Chase bank. The building has been completely renovated for the restaurant.
“We feel it’d be a good addition to the area and it’s going to add good value to the surrounding businesses and also surrounding residences,” Deleo said.
The café will be open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.
Deleo said he expects the café to open in 10 to 12 weeks, likely around Memorial Day.
