Ford Takes Blockbuster Space for Second Brooklyn Dealership

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Bay Ridge Ford Rendering 300x194 Ford Takes Blockbuster Space for Second Brooklyn Dealership

612 86th Street

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It might be time for Brooklynites to buckle up and embrace suburban life. Ford will open a new dealership in the borough, one of the first it’s opened since the recession.

The new Bay Ridge Ford will feature a 7,500-square-foot showroom on a 27,000-square-foot lot and is set to open next month. The lease is for 20 years with an option to renew for five years. The dealership is expected to create 50 new jobs, according to the company. “Brooklyn is in need of new jobs,” Ford said, “as the rate of unemployment is currently over 10 percent.”

Well, so it is in Detroit, too, but the automaker has pledged to reduce its dealerships in that city and across the country by around 10 percent. The decision is also a bit of a head-scratcher given that overall the number of people commuting to Manhattan actually decreased by 57,000 between 2002 and 2007, according to a recent survey by The Real Deal.

It seems, however, there’s more gasoline to be guzzled in the borough. By population, “Brooklyn is one of the largest cities in the nation,” said Gary Flom, president of Bay Ridge Ford, but currently it only has one Ford dealership. “There’s room for growth, especially in new vehicle sales,” he added. 

The dealership’s new digs at a former Blockbuster location offers such automobile-friendly features as ample customer parking and access to the Gowanus Parkway. Ford had to beat out Walgreens and a major supermarket chain for the space. The company also plans to open a 30,000-square-foot service and parts facility within the Brooklyn Army Terminal, an industrial complex in Sunset Park. 

Neil Dolgin and Bob Klein of Kalmon Dolgin Affiliates represented both the tenant and the landlord, Eugene and Seymour Hionas.