A long-vacant supermarket space in Great Neck Plaza has been transformed into a bustling new grocery store as ALDI officially opened its doors Thursday, April 23, following more than a year of coordination among local officials, business leaders and residents.
Village officials and company representatives say the new store is more than just a retail addition — it is the result of a community-driven effort to restore a key amenity and bring renewed energy to the area’s commercial corridor.
“This is a year-long effort,” Mayor Ted Rosen said in an interview, noting the store opened months ahead of its original summer 2026 projection. “The store is beautiful. They have done extensive renovations.”
The opening fills a gap left when a previous supermarket vacated the plaza in 2022, leaving residents without a convenient grocery option within walking distance of the LIRR station and surrounding apartments.
Rosen credited Town Councilwoman Christine Liu forspearheading the outreach to bring a new grocer to the site.
“When I was campaigning and speaking to residents of Great Neck, their top priority was to have a supermarket in the plaza,” Liu said. “They’ve been used to it for decades, and then they were without one.”
After taking office in 2024, Liu said she made attracting a supermarket a priority by taking the unusual step of directly contacting ALDI’s corporate offices herself.
“I’m not a broker or real estate agent,” she said. “I just felt like the community really needs a supermarket, so I personally reached out.”
ALDI expressed interest in the site, but early negotiations nearly fell apart due to local delivery restrictions that limited truck activity to before 6 p.m. With the company’s warehouse located in Connecticut, those hours posed a logistical challenge.
Rather than abandon the project, Liu said she convened a meeting that included village officials, property owners, the building department and nearby residents to address concerns about late-night noise from deliveries.
Source: LI Press
