Rent King Kullen Property To Other Supermarkets: Lawmakers

GLEN COVE, NY — With King Kullen's imminent closure in Glen Cove, a pair of lawmakers are calling on the property owner to lease the space to another supermarket.

In a letter sent on Tuesday, State Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-North Hills) and Assemblymember Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) expressed concerns that the closure will limit options for residents who have shopped at King Kullen for the last 20 years. The letter was addressed to Norman Bobrow & Company, which owns the space occupied by King Kullen on Forest Avenue.

"We write to express the hope that you will rent this space to another supermarket," the letter read. "Otherwise, Glen Cove will be left with only one major supermarket."

The lawmakers also argued that Glen Cove is seeing an influx of new residents with the opening of several large developments in nearby Village Square and Garvies Point, "which will certainly support the continued existence of two full-service grocery store options in the community."

King Kullen is set to close at 77 Forest Ave. on July 28. Another King Kullen, located at 206 New Hyde Park Rd., will close on July 14, after 48 years in Franklin Plaza.

After the closures, the Hauppauge-based grocery chain will have 27 King Kullen supermarkets and five Wild by Nature stores on Long Island.

The closest King Kullen supermarket to Glen Cove will be in Manhasset, about nine miles away. Franklin Square's closest King Kullen supermarket will be roughly three miles away in Garden City Park.