Binghamton Foes Prompt Salvation Army to Drop Weis Market Plan

A controversial plan by the Salvation Army to take over a closed Binghamton supermarket site in Binghamton has been killed.

The organization's proposal to buy a building that had housed a Weis grocery story on the city's South Side generated opposition from people who lived nearby.

WATCH: Video inside the closed Weis store at the end of this article.

The Salvation Army was prepared to acquire the site from Binghamton Giant Markets, an entity owned by the Akel family.

FLASHBACK: A selection of frozen food items in the Weis market on Conklin Avenue on February 1, 2024. (File Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The building was constructed more than six decades ago for a Giant supermarket. Pennsylvania-based Weis Markets later operated a store at the site. It was closed in March 2024.

Several neighbors spoke against the Salvation Army project at a Binghamton planning commission public hearing.

Most indicated they didn't believe the plan to open a thrift store and donation warehouse was compatible with the area.

A section of the closed Conklin Avenue Weis store on August 5, 2024. (File Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Many also expressed concern that section of Binghamton has become a "food desert" since the Weis store went out of business. They said they want the city and the property owner to do more to attract another supermarket to the site.

Some also noted the property now generates $100,000 a year in tax revenue for the city and the Binghamton school district. The site would have been taken off the tax rolls if the Salvation Army acquired it.

In a statement provided to WNBF News, the Salvation Army indicated the organization is "disappointed" that the planning commission did not approve its application for the project.

A glimpse inside the vacant supermarket on September 30, 2026. (File Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The statement said "we are grateful for the board's consideration and for the honest and open dialog we received from the community."

The Salvation Army indicated it is still "committed to our search for a more suitable location for our store and associated operations in the Binghamton area."

Philip Akel of Binghamton Giant Markets did not respond to a request for comment on the future of the Conklin Avenue site.

A Visions Federal Credit Union drive-up ATM remains in operation at the site of the closed Weis market on Conklin Avenue. (File Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: A two-minute stroll through the closed supermarket on Conklin Avenue in August 2024.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @bobjoseph.bsky.social on Bluesky or @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.