Bay Ridge shoppers wondering what would become of the longtime Century 21 site finally have an answer, and it comes with grocery bags.<\/p>\n
Trader Joe\u2019s is set to open at the former department store property on 86th Street, anchoring a new retail development called Century Marketplace.<\/p>\n
Councilmember Kayla Santosuosso confirmed the California-based grocery chain as the development\u2019s primary tenant in a video announcement<\/a> posted Sunday, ending years of speculation over the future of the property. An opening date has not yet been announced.<\/p>\n The site has remained vacant since Century 21 filed for bankruptcy in 2020.<\/p>\n MCB Real Estate and Osiris Ventures purchased the property for $47.5 million in 2025, with plans to transform it into a 95,000-square-foot retail complex. Plans call for a two-story structure with an interior atrium facing 86th Street.<\/p>\n \u201cThe plan has always been to bring 86th St. back bigger and better than ever, and my team and I have been working around the clock behind the scenes to make that happen,\u201d Santosuosso said in a statement provided by the Brooklyn Paper<\/a>. <\/p>\n Santosuosso also said the arrival of the national grocery chain could bring more customers to independent businesses along Third and Fifth avenues.<\/p>\n She credited Osiris Ventures and former Councilmember Justin Brannan with helping bring Trader Joe\u2019s to the development.<\/p>\n