Freeport, NY Fred Parola, CEO of the town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency (IDA), said the agency has given preliminary approval to a package of economic development benefits that will allow a Forest Hills, Queens-based wholesale dairy distributor with facilities in Inwood purchase a warehouse in town where it intends to consolidate operations

The IDA gave preliminary approval of the benefits to Natural Foods Inc. and its real estate affiliate,159 Hanse Development LLC, at its meeting on Oct. 25.

Natural Foods, established in 2004, distributes commodity, organic, natural and dairy products to more than 900 stores in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

Natural Foods and 149 Hanse intend to purchase and renovate an existing 67,307 s/f industrial building on 2.3 acres at 149 Hanse Ave. in the village. The site formerly housed Columbia Cement Co., an adhesives manufacturer, and had been considered a Super Fund site by the State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The building will be updated with energy efficient state of the art equipment aimed towards the distribution of high quality, organic and natural dairy products along the East Coast. Natural Foods will benefit from lower electric rates from Freeport’s municipal utility.

Natural Foods intends to relocate 50 employees from 475 Doughty Blvd., Inwood and from Forest Hills, Queens, and create another 50 jobs within two years of the completion of the $10 million project. The project is expected to generate about 10 construction industry jobs.

“In addition to generating many new employment opportunities for the town and The Village of Freeport, this project will rehabilitate a long-vacant building and generate new revenues for the various taxing authorities,” said Parola. “We are pleased to begin the process of incentivizing the project.”