After long wait, Millerton food market gets site plan go-ahead

MILLERTON — The Town of North East Planning Board approved the site plan for the Town Gourmet Market, a new food market to be located in the Millerton Square Plaza at 122 Route 44.

The plan to bring a food market to Millerton has been in the works since Kim and Chris Choe of Sharon, Connecticut, reached agreement with Skip Trotta to purchase the four separate parcels totaling 10.2 acres in May 2023.

In November, when the sale was completed after complying with state and county regulations, veteran grocer Trotta issued a statement noting the long and complicated process to complete the sale.

“We had other proposals for a different use, but we always felt the real need was for a large, clean, remodeled, and competitive market for the sake of the town and the folks that live in the area who deserve just that,” Trotta added.

The Choes own the Sharon Farm Market in the shopping center in Sharon where they have operated for 15 years. Nearly three years ago they expanded by purchasing a farm on Route 44 in East Canaan.

The Choes have presented their plans for the market at recent Planning Board meetings.

Ray Nelson of Earthwise Architecture of Millerton described the features planned for the Town Gourmet Market, including a cafe out front, a greenhouse, a parking lot for 85 vehicles with an EV charger, along with changes to the facade of the building and added green space.

Millerton has been a food desert that stretches from Copake to Dover for half a decade since a Grand Union closed. The Choes plan to offer a wide selection of products, including a full-service meat, deli, seafood, sushi, bakery, and produce departments supplied by C&S Wholesale Grocers, the nation’s largest coast-to-coast distributor to independent grocery stores.