Six Months After Groundbreaking, South Bronx’s Tallest Building Rises Above the Deegan

Six months after breaking ground, the South Bronx’s soon-to-be tallest building is finally rising—and rising fast.

Located at 355 Exterior Street in Mott Haven, the 40 story, 400-foot-tall tower has already surpassed the height of the Major Deegan Expressway, now standing four stories tall as construction charges forward. The development will bring 755 new apartments to the area across two towers with amenities like an outdoor pool, coworking space, a children’s room, and even a golf simulator. Previous reports claim that 30% of the units will be set aside as “affordable”, however, we already know that at such developments, they never truly are affordable especially for residents within the immediate vicinity.

The building will also include ground-floor retail space, further anchoring a rapid transformation that’s redefined the South Bronx Harlem River waterfront over the past five years.

What makes this development even more notable is its location along a waterfront that now boasts a more modern and developed skyline than its Harlem counterpart just across the river. Once maligned and written off by city planners and investors alike, the South Bronx Harlem River shoreline is now unrecognizable to longtime residents—and it’s continuing to evolve into a vertical neighborhood at a breakneck pace.

Directly north of the tower, construction is also underway on the much-anticipated 2.3 acre Lower Concourse Park—a $35 million green space project spearheaded by NYCEDC and NYC Parks. After years of community advocacy for more waterfront access and parkland, this long-overdue project will provide recreational space, lush landscaping, and riverfront views to an area that has been largely cut off from its shoreline for generations.

Together, these developments encapsulate the profound and often uneasy transformation happening in Mott Haven. The simultaneous rise of luxury towers and public parks highlights both the potential and the tensions of urban redevelopment that perpetuates a tale of two cities not just within New York City and The Bronx but also within one neighborhood.

While we welcome long-needed investment and amenities, we remain cautious and vigilant, because in the rush to build up the Bronx, it’s vital we don’t lose sight of who’s being built out.