On April 7, the city cut the ribbon on the country’s first delivery worker hub to much fanfare.
Located at 249 Broadway, right outside City Hall, the long-delayed hub was unveiled as one of the seminal triumphs of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s first 100 days in office.
The conversion of an abandoned newsstand into a center for delivery workers to charge their batteries, rest, repair their bikes, and gain access to information on street safety was the realization of a dream by members of the Workers’ Justice Project (WJP).
Yet, three weeks later, instead of a bustling center that delivery drivers were promised, the hub sits dark and empty.
Despite a heavily publicized grand opening, Con Edison has not turned on electrical service to the hub. ConEd spokesperson Anne Marie Corbalis said she expects the Hub to be energized this week.
“We have been working closely with the hub’s developer in support of their request for electric service,” she said in a statement, referring to the City. “Our crews have been working as quickly and safely as possible to complete the additional work necessary to energize the hub. We expect to complete our work this week.”
The Mayor’s office did not respond to Documented’s request for comment.
Gabriel Montero, director of development and communications at WJP, said his group has been coordinating with ConEd to ensure electrical activation. He said the utility company did not finish installing the required electrical connection needed to open the hub.
“Our understanding is that ConEd had been having difficulty locating their electrical connection at the site and has completed installing a new electrical connection,” he said. “Our focus is on ensuring the space is fully functional for workers and making sure it is operational as quickly as possible.”
Federal funding for the hub was secured in 2022 by Sen. Chuck Schumer, in partnership with former Mayor Eric Adams. At $1 million, the funding was slated to cover the cost of three hubs across the five boroughs. The City Hall location was the first to be built, with the two other hubs slated to be built in the Bronx and the Upper West Side. However, in the face of strong community opposition, plans for the other two hubs have stalled.
But despite the funding, construction on the City Hall hub made little progress under the Adams Administration. Once Mamdani took office, the Mayor made opening the hub within his first 100 days a top priority, with engineers working around the clock to meet the new deadline.
Earlier this month, when the project had its grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 7, the lights appeared to be on, but it was unclear what the source of the power was.
Once it’s officially energized and open, the City Hall hub will be operated weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. by WJP staff. Outside the rear of the building, 40 battery charging lockers will provide 24/7 app-based access to safe e-bike charging.
