With the upcoming closure of the Tops Friendly Market in Ellenville, a number of Facebook commenters have suggested that an Aldi take the spot. The chain of over 2,000 discount grocery stores is known for low prices because of cost-cutting measures like carrying a smaller variety of brands and a simplified store set-up – in many cases, you’re rooting through cardboard boxes for your cereal.

One comment on the Shawangunk Journal Facebook page, left by Charles Jones, said an Aldi would be “the best thing for them to do.” Another commenter, Barb Schmitt, wrote, “That location should have been an Aldi’s for a competitive price option for the community.”

Evan Trent, the mayor of Ellenville, said he did not want to “throw out any preference” on a grocery chain, but he said that he sees the appeal of Aldi, especially when many supermarkets struggle to compete with the nearby Walmart.

“An organization like Aldi can and does go toe-to-toe with an organization like Walmart on everyday low pricing,” Trent said. “I think they would have a good chance of competing here and being very successful.”

There is only one Aldi in Ulster County, in Kingston. The other closest locations are Newburgh and Wappingers Falls. Would they take a shot at Ellenville?

The Aldi website includes a list of property requirements, inviting available locations that meet their criteria to send a site plan, contact information and other details about the property.

They are interested in a lot at least 22,000 square feet with at least 95 parking spaces, 2.5-acre pads for development and purchase, end-cap or inline space with minimum of 103’ of frontage. They prefer a signalized, full access intersection in a dense trade area population within 3 miles, sites located in community and regional shopping districts with convenient access to population, sites zoned to allow grocery use and a specific traffic count.

The Tops site meets a lot of those qualifications – it has a signalized, full access intersection on 46,750 square feet and its proximity to a dense population is part of the reason why many Ellenville residents are upset at its impending closure. As the plaza has already been used for a grocery store, a potential Aldi would not have to appear at the planning board and would not need a change of use.

Aldi traffic requirements, however, are a big obstacle. They require “Daily traffic count in excess of 20,000 vehicles per day.” A recent traffic study of 209 in Kerhonkson, just a few miles up the road, logged just 9,200 vehicles a day, less than half of what Aldi wants to see.

17 percent of Ellenville residents do not own a car. Ellenville has a population of just over four thousand people and Wawarsing has a population of about 12,400, meaning they’d need to see more cars than the entire population of the town and village.

So, for now, it seems like whatever comes next will have to be something else.