The old 20 acre Whitestone Cinemas site, which was sold last year for $75 million, will be demolished this spring according to Real Estate Weekly.
The site will be developed by the new owners into a massive 840,000 square foot multi-level “last mile” distribution center which will be the first of its kind in the East Coast and according to the article, perhaps “…just the second such facility in the entire country.”
You may recall that just a few years ago the site was proposed to be mega outlet mall but those plans fell through.
Last mile distribution is pretty much what it sounds like; getting products from distribution hubs to the customer.
While all this sounds great on paper and aims to get goods to consumers quickly (we still don’t know what types of tenants will occupy the space once constructed).
How will this impact traffic?
The Whitestone Cinemas site is located right next to major thoroughfares like the Cross Bronx Expressway, Bruckner Boulevard, and the Hutchinson River Parkway making it a prime location for deliveries throughout our borough and beyond but what of the toll on pollution and already exacerbated asthma rates?
This land is much better suited for much needed and truly affordable housing not something that claims will bring jobs but will also just dump more trucks onto our streets.
We already had FreshDirect shoved down the community’s throat against major opposition which will bring thousands of truck trips through the South Bronx, can we really afford the same to be done to the East Bronx?
We’ll be keeping an eye on this development as it proceeds so stay tuned and make sure you sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss a story!
