Under the much-discussed Fresh Direct deal, the Internet grocer invest $112.6 million in a new 500,000-square-foot facility on the 16-acre Harlem River Yards site, retaining nearly 2,000 existing jobs and creating almost 1,000 new jobs.

“The new trick here is incentivizing job creation and wage growth, so the wages created by hiring 1,000 people as they go from 2,000 to 3,000 employees in this project is what our package is for,” Adams said. “If they don’t produce those wages and they don’t hire that many people, they can’t cash in the tax credits for the Department of Finance. It’s about pay for performance.”

However, wooing Fresh Direct to keep its facilities in the city wasn’t an easy get. New York faced stiff competition from New Jersey after Gov. Chris Christie offered a $100 million incentive package for the company to relocate across the Hudson River.

Seth Pinsky, president of the New York City Economic Development Corp., said both the city and state came back with a “compelling” business case. Pending approval, the New York City Industrial Development Agency has offered approximately $74 million in sales tax exemptions, mortgage recording tax deferral and real estate tax exemptions for Fresh Direct over a 25-year period, as well as $9.5 million to acquire assets to be used at the new facility.

On the state side, the ESD is providing $18.8 million in Excelsior tax credits and $9 million capital grant. In addition, Fresh Direct plans to purchase 10 electric trucks from Smith Electric Vehicles – another manufacturer establishing headquarters in the Bronx.

While the deal was viewed as a victory for New York and a loss for the Garden State, Pinsky explained that the project has larger social implications.

“There are very few businesses are lining $100 million dollar, 3,000 job facilities in the South Bronx, the poorest congressional district in the country – an area that has seen very little development,” he said. “Although we would all like to wish away the incentives coming from across the river, the fact is there was a very generous package that was put on the table for this New York success story, which is looking to grow by another 50% over the next 10 years. Although it makes business sense for this company to stay in New York City, but with enough money, the move would make sense for them – and we believe very strongly that the money that was being put on the table from across the river did make a compelling business case for them to consider moving to New Jersey, which is why relative to the size of the deal, a modest investment in this project, bringing thousands of high-saving jobs, and important jobs, to low- and middle- skilled Bronx residents.”

Further Upstate, Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, said the state's Capital Region is also benefitting from the state’s new program. Foye said Intel and IBM’s $4.4 billion investment to establish facilities in Albany, Canadaigua, Utica, East Fishkill and Yorktown Heights was one of the best example of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s job creation plan – especially for hard-hit Upstate areas that have historically faced competition from Downstate urban cores.

“It’s about creating an environment and an ecosystem for success,” Foye said. “The most scarce and precious resource we have and what the city, state and the region have to do is create an environment for talented people to come here, stay here and work here.”