The wait for accessibility at one of The Bronx’s busiest subway stations is over. After a $123 million upgrade, elevators are up and running at the 149th Street-Grand Concourse Station on the 2, 4, and 5 subway lines in the South Bronx.

For years, community residents and advocates had been pushing for the MTA to commit to bringing the station into ADA compliance. Due to the complexity of the multi-line station layout and expense it would incur, it never made the yearly list of stations to receive such upgrades.

Now, as of Friday, September 11, three new elevators at the station are finally open, accessible via a new entrance located at the historic headhouse.

The elevator brings passengers down to the mezzanine where, once the fare is paid, commuters can access two other elevators that leading to the 2, 4, 5 uptown or downtown platforms.

Along the way are three new mosaic art installations; however, the placards have yet to be installed at the time of this writing so the artist remains unknown for the time being.

The station, which is now officially known as 149th Street-Hostos (longtime Bronxites will have a hard time calling it by its new name), is the fourth busiest in The Bronx and saw 2.5 million riders last year alone. However, that is a far cry from the almost 4 million riders that used the station in 2019 right before the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the station first opened in 1905, it had elevators but by 1975, they were closed at the height of city’s fiscal crisis when New York almost went bankrupt leaving local residents with accessibility issues unable to being able to use the station for over half a century.

While the long wait for accessibility at this station is over, we hope that the MTA (and local residents) keep this important connection for residents clean and that the MTA doesn’t skimp on cleaning and basic maintenance otherwise why spend hundreds of millions to only let it fall into disrepair again.

Afterall, with all that congestion pricing money, it’s the least the MTA can do.

Note on the image of the Bronx General Post Office: There is no indication that Legionnaires’ was detected at the building, it is simply being used since it is the location for the post office serving the 10451 zip code.

The South Bronx finds itself amidst a deadly legionnaires’ outbreak that has claimed the life of one resident and has sickened five according to New York City health officials.

According to the New York City Department of Health, the legionnaires cluster is in the 10451 and 10456 zip codes of the Melrose and Morrisania neighborhoods of the borough and urges anyone who lives, works, or has visited the area since late August and is experience flu-like symptoms like difficulty breathing, fever, or coughing, should contact a health care provider immediately.

People with underlying chronic cardiovascular, lung, kidney, or liver disease, and diabetes are at an increased risk as are people over 50 and smokers and vapers. Unfortunately, given that The Bronx, and in particular, the South Bronx, has some of the highest rates of these chronic diseases, it means that a greater segment of the population is at risk.

Back in 2015, the same general area of the South Bronx was at the epicenter of New York City’s largest Legionnaires’ outbreak which sickened 138 residents and claimed the lives of 16, many of whom had such underlying health complications.

These very health issues suffered by many Bronxites is one of the underlying reasons why the borough found itself at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic which claimed almost 10,000 lives during the course of the pandemic and the highest rate of all the boroughs.

This latest outbreak comes after an earlier outbreak this summer sickened 94 on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and claimed the lives of 11 residents.

The New York City Department of Health will be hosting a live virtual town hall on this latest outbreak this Sunday, September 13 at 3PM.

Another chapter has turned for one of The Bronx’s most iconic buildings. The Bronx General Post Office, located at 558 Grand Concourse at East 149th Street, has officially sold for $44 million to a new developer. The sale, first reported by Crain’s New York Business, marks the second time the landmark has changed hands since the U.S. Postal Service sold it in 2014.

But the real question is: will this change anything? Or is this just another hollow deal in a long line of failed promises to revive our borough’s historic treasures?

From Bold Promises to a Decade of Silence

When Youngwoo & Associates purchased the historic post office for $19 million over a decade ago, they promised a sweeping transformation—what they called “Bronx Post Place.” It was pitched as a vibrant cultural and commercial hub with restaurants, a food market, offices, and public gathering space. The historic Ben Shahn and Bernarda Bryson murals would be preserved. The rooftop would host community events. It was supposed to be a gift to The Bronx.

To their credit, the murals and the lobby were fully restored and preserved, with extensive work completed by 2015. But aside from the opening of Zona de Cuba in 2019—a rooftop restaurant and lounge—the building has largely sat silent and underused. Floors of the once-grand civic space remain dark. The promised revitalization never materialized.

And now it’s been flipped—at more than double the price—to a new developer, Maddd Equities who is no stranger to The Bronx—but  hasn’t revealed what awaits the old, beloved landmark.

A Pattern We Know Too Well in The Bronx

If this sounds familiar, it’s because it is.

The Bronx General Post Office isn’t the only landmark that’s suffered under the weight of big promises and little follow-through.

Take the Old Bronx Borough Courthouse on Third Avenue and 161st Street. That grand Beaux-Arts building—vacant since the late 1970s—was supposed to be reborn as a charter school which eventually fell through leaving the landmark to remain vacant for yet another decade.

Then there’s the Kingsbridge Armory. Once the world’s largest armory, the site has been the subject of community dreams and developer spin for over 25 years. Promised plans have ranged from shopping malls to ice rinks to community centers. Yet here we are in 2025, and it’s still empty although there’s promise that it will come back to life.

It’s a painful trend: developers swoop in with slick presentations and high-minded rhetoric, often with the backing of city agencies. But when it’s time to deliver? The people of The Bronx are left with empty buildings, broken timelines, and vacant promises.

Will This Time Be Different?

The new owners of the Bronx General Post Office have inherited more than a real estate deal—they’ve inherited the baggage of history, broken trust, and deep community skepticism.

If they’re serious about revitalizing this building, they’ll need to:

Be transparent— Tell us your plan. Engage the community, not just investors.

Honor the landmark—The building’s historic character—including its murals and restored lobby.

Create something meaningful—No more empty offices or overpriced commercial space. We need real community benefits, affordable spaces, and jobs for Bronx residents.

Otherwise, this sale will go down as just another in a long string of speculative flips disguised as “revitalization.”

We’ve Seen the Playbook—We’re Not Buying the Hype

The Bronx has always been treated like a blank canvas for outside developers—our stories, our history, our landmarks are used as selling points, but rarely preserved with integrity or handed back to the community. We’re tired of seeing our buildings languish under empty promises.

The sale of the Bronx General Post Office for $44 million could be an opportunity. But if history is any indicator, it could just as easily be another broken promise, another landmark swallowed by silence.

Since before NYC Ferry first launched its Soundview route in 2017 connecting The Bronx to Manhattan by water, Welcome2TheBronx has been vocally advocating for a direct connection to Brooklyn and Queens.

Now, after years of pushing for this idea—along with thousands of Bronx commuters who want to bypass Manhattan on their way to Queens and Brooklyn—it is one step closer to reality.

NYC Ferry and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced yesterday that they are collecting public comments on proposed changes to routes including the expansion of the Soundview route which would extend to Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and the Rockaways.

The route would be by far the longest in the NYC Ferry system at almost 34 miles and will take about two hours to travel from one end to the other. Currently, it can take over two and a half hours to get between Soundview and the Rockaways by public transportation and requires multiple changes to different subway lines along the way.

A one-seat ride between these communities is a much welcomed relief.

According to NYCEDC, the frequency of service will more or less stay the same with weekday peak service slightly increasing to every 43 minutes versus the current 41 minutes and weekday off-peak increasing to 64 minutes from 61.

Summer weekend frequency is expected to remain the same at 45 minutes.

The proposed changes, which will merge some routes, and, as in the case of the proposed Soundview/Rockaway route, offer commuters seamless travel without having to switch ferries, is geared to increase ridership which will help decrease the subsidy per rider.

Providing a direct public transportation option, other than buses, between The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens is one of the most impactful decisions given the fact that the three boroughs combined account for 7 million residents—almost 80% of NYC’s population of 8.3 million.

However, if NYC Ferry and NYCEDC want to truly be revolutionary, they should include a route that would further connect The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens with a new route that would go from Soundview and Throggs Neck to Astoria, LIC, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and even DUMBO.

This would make all these communities easily accessible to each other and has the potential to make an even bigger environmental impact by taking cars off the road if easier access is provided between them.

In the meantime, NYCEDC is accepting comments on the proposed changes and if you want to provide your own thoughts, you can easily do so here, just make sure you do so by Monday, September 1, 2025.

Construction has finally begun on the final phase of one of the largest developments in The Bronx after years of delays.

Building E, at the La Central Development in Melrose at The Hub, once completed, will rise 26 stories and will feature several outdoor terraces but the most exciting feature will be The Bronx Astronomy Tower, a rooftop-mounted telescope that will be operated remotely by the Bronx High School of Science and will be broadcasted to schools across New York City.

La Central was first announced in late 2013 in the last days of the Bloomberg administration and was billed as one of the largest such residential developments in The Bronx at the time.

The first of the five buildings was completed in 2019 and welcomed the first residents later that year to 160 brand new units.

Two additional, and much larger buildings opened the following year with an additional 494 affordable apartments and a few years later, those buildings became home to the South Bronx’s first YMCA in decades and also BronxNet’s newest recording studios.

Also under construction is building C which will feature 166 apartments and once completed, both buildings will be fully affordable to residents making 30-80 percent of the area median income.

Construction on building C and E is scheduled to be completed by 2027 and will bring the total number of units at La Central to 992.

In a victory for the Throggs Neck community, New York Attorney General Letitia James has stepped in to secure the future of Preston High School, a beloved all-girls Catholic institution that has served generations of Bronxites since 1947.

Following months of uncertainty after the Sisters of the Divine Compassion announced plans to sell the property, Attorney General James successfully negotiated a deal ensuring that Preston High School remains operational for at least another 25 years.

Under this landmark agreement, the Bally’s Foundation of North America—a nonprofit associated with Bally’s Corporation—purchased the school property. They have committed to leasing it back to Preston High School for just $1 per year. This unprecedented arrangement also provides additional support for capital improvements and legal aid, ensuring Preston continues its vital educational mission in the Bronx community.

While this philanthropic gesture by the Bally’s Foundation is indeed commendable, it brings a contrasting issue to the forefront: Bally’s Corporation’s controversial efforts to establish a casino at Ferry Point Park. The casino proposal has sparked significant backlash from residents and local leaders alike, culminating in Community Board 10 overwhelmingly voting against the plan by a margin of 29-5. The board cited critical concerns about increased traffic congestion, potential rises in crime, and the loss of precious parkland, which could negatively impact community life.

This juxtaposition between Bally’s charitable actions at Preston High School and its contentious casino ambitions raises questions about the corporation’s broader intentions and genuine commitment to community interests.

As Bronx residents celebrate the preservation of Preston High School, they must remain vigilant about the ongoing casino debate, advocating for responsible developments that genuinely align with local needs and aspirations and the saving of a beloved institution shouldn’t come at the cost of such needs.

Another affordable housing lottery has launched in The Bronx for a brand new development that is truly affordable for many local Bronxites.

Called Whitlock Point, located at 1001 Whitlock Avenue in the Longwood neighborhood of the borough, the brand new development has 222 residential units as part of the first phase of a much larger project.

Best of all, starting rents are well below average making it truly affordable for many Bronxites with monthly rents starting at $454 for studios, $577 for 1 bedroom units, $680 for 2 bedroom units, and $774 for 3 bedroom units. These particular units are set aside for households making 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

Whitlock Point, once opened, will offer amenities like tenant bike storage, air conditioning, assigned parking spaces, private outdoor areas for residents, a recreation room, and the building is even pet friendly.

A breakdown of available units and income requirements are as follows (see website for full details and household size requirements):

30% of Area Median Income

• $454 a month for a studio for households making $19,372-$41,940
• $577 a month for 1 bedroom units for households making $24,138-$41,940
• $680 a month for 2 bedroom units for households making $29,143-$50,310
• $774 a month for 3 bedroom units for households making $33,806-$57,780

50% Area Median Income

• $850 a month for studio units for households making $33,120-$62,150
• $1,078 a month for 1 bedroom units for households making $41,315-$69,900
• $1,281 a month for 2 bedroom units for households making $49,749-$83,850
• $1,468 a month for 3 bedroom units for households making $57,600-$96,300

60% AMI

• $1,243 a month for studio units for households making $46,423-$74,580
• $1,563 a month for 1 bedroom units for households making $57,943-$83,880
• $1,864 a month for 2 bedroom units for households making $69,738-$100,620
• $2,142 a month for 3 bedroom units for households making $80,709-$115,560

80%

• $1,709 a month for studio units for households making $62,400-$99,440
• $2,145 a month for 1 bedroom units for households making $77,898-$111,840
• $2,563 a month for 2 bedroom units for households making $93,703-$134,160
• $2,949 a month for 3 bedroom units for households making $108,378-$154,080

Please note, for each unit, there are other requirements such as number of people per household and further income requirements based on household size so refer to the Housing Connect website for further details.

How to Apply

For those interested in applying, you have until April 7, 2025 and you can do so online or you can request an application by mail by sending a self-addressed envelope to: Whitlock Point Phase 1, PO Box 9, 3003 Purchase Street, Purchase, NY 10577

Remember, you can only apply ONCE and you may not apply both online and by mail. Applying more than once can and will disqualify you according to the lottery rules.

Also, please note: We are NOT connected with this or any other real estate developments and cannot assist you in obtaining an apartment so please do not contact us regarding these units.

Good luck to all who apply!