Melissa Mark-Viverito is by far the best candidate for speaker. She’s not perfect, no one is, but a lot of articles being published about her are ridiculous. It’s a witch-hunt.
Is New York City so terrified that a Puerto Rican born woman, a latina, a progressive not on paper but in action is about to be the most powerful politician after Bill de Blasio? Do we really need stupid articles from the Post (wait, that’s redundant, the Post is synonymous with stupidity) about her opponent in the last election suing her for allegedly using santería as black magic, in the form of a mural, against her so she could lose?
Did the Daily News really publish a baseless article trashing her for getting a tax credit she more than qualified for, 16 years ago? Did they go on to talk about her small percentage of ownership she eventually purchased in Puerto Rico as her fortunes grew through her hard work as if that were a bad thing?
The ONLY article of substance and balance written so far has come from the NYTIMES (that shouldn’t be surprising) where they spoke about a sore point with the community 7 years ago in a rezoning issue. It gave the good and the bad. Definitely worth a read.
The Bronx Democratic Party is making a huge mistake by not supporting her candidacy as the #nextspeaker but it shouldn’t be a surprise. Why would they ever want someone who’s not in their pocket and won’t play dirty ball with the Arroyos, Diaz’s and crew?
Ruben Diaz Jr strongly supported her reelection but isn’t supporting her for speaker? It goes to show you how scared they are of her independence.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr endorsed Mark-Viverito's reelection but won't support her candidacy for speaker?
Congratulations to Senator Serrano, Congressman Serrano and former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer for breaking ranks with the machine. Your actions speak loudly to those of us who are listening and who know very well that the Bronx Democratic Party is broken, and keeping us from ever truly progressing and forging ahead.
Artist rendering of the Crossings Mall / courtesy of Hunts Point Express
Yesterday on New12 The Bronx, a lot of fanfare was made about the new mall coming to the Southern Boulevard BID in Hunts Point which is being touted as bringing much a much needed economic boost to the area but at what cost?
The first tenant causing a bit of concern is a McDonald’s. Is this something to really be proud of and get all excited about when the area is already filled with nothing but fast food and low-wage jobs? The proposed location is in between TWO other McDonald’s that are walking distance from the site.
Crossings Mall site sits between two existing McDonald's. Is a third necessary?
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Hunts Point residents already suffer the ultimate irony of being neighbors with the largest food distribution industrial park in the world yet have little to no access to the healthy fruits and vegetables coming out of there.
This disparity, coupled with the plethora of fast food joints, has contributed to our neighborhoods having some of the highest rates of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes in the city.
The second tenant causing concern is Red Lobster. They are planning for a giant 9,000 square foot restaurant which they say will employ 200 workers according to an article in the Hunts Point Express.
The reason for concern is that Red Lobster’s future is uncertain for now. Its parent company, Darden Restaurants, announced last week that it intends to sell or spin-off the popular seafood chain into a separate entity — something which could effect the bottom line down the road considering that the pricey restaurant will sit in a neighborhood with a median income barely at $24,000.
While I applaud bringing in a new retail space into the area which will spur economic activity, I, along with other residents agree that we can do better than McDonald’s and area residents should demand that the landlord attract a tenant that will actually benefit the residents. Another gym in the area will not hurt.
Crossings Mall is scheduled to open sometime in 2015.
Even though Melissa Mark-Viverito’s district encompassed only a tiny sliver of the Bronx, she represented our interests as if her entire constituency resided here.
City Council District 8 was mostly in East Harlem but Mark-Viverito never once neglected her small corner of the Bronx. She strongly encouraged residents to take part in participatory budget sessions where Bronxites voted on where money should be allotted —like a true democracy.
She was one of the first city officials to help put the breaks on the FreshDirect sweetheart deal listening to the concerns of residents who suffer from some of the highest rates of asthma in the nation.
Melissa Mark-Viverito has been a true progressive leader and as we enter a new era with a new mayor and administration that vows to work for all New Yorkers, it only makes sense that she leads the City Council going forward.
Now that most of most of her district is in the Bronx due to redistricting, it is even more important for Bronx residents (and our borough’s City Council Members) to support her candidacy for Speaker. Our borough has been long underrepresented in city government and having Mark-Viverito in the second most powerful position in New York City, after Mayor Bill de Blasio, will help elevate us to an even playing field with the rest of the city.
As a Latina, Melissa Mark-Viverito also represents the changing face of New York City and it is important that we see QUALIFIED people of color, particularly women, in the upper echelons of our city’s government.
We strongly believe that she is the exact type of progressive leader the city needs right now and can help make this city, once again, a city for all.
Decaying mural at the Bronx County Courthouse, courtesy NY Daily News
This year marks the 375th Anniversary that our borough’s namesake, Jonas Bronck, from Sweden, became the Bronx’s first European settler.
It is believed that Jonas Bronck was born circa 1600 in the Swedish province of Småland and eventually made his way to The Netherlands before making his way to North America and settling in the Dutch colonial province of New Netherland.
In 1639 Bronck settled along what is now the Harlem River in modern day Mott Haven. His farm extended north to about present day 150th Street. His residence in the Bronx was short-lived as he died 4 years later in 1643.
Fast forward to January 1, 1914 – almost 20 years after the Bronx became an official borough of New York City and fully annexed from Westchester County in 1895, our beloved home officially became a separate county.
Until then, it was still tied with Manhattan as New York County but in 1914 it officially become Bronx County and thus we also celebrate the 100th anniversary of our incorporation.
Let us not forget that all of this came at a great cost: the displacement of Lenape Native American people. Courtesy of Wikipedia
Our borough was carved out of what was once the Lenape territory of Lenapehoking — a vast territory which straddled modern-day upstate New York, Western Long Island (including Brooklyn and Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, the entire State of New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and parts of Western Connecticut.
As we move forward with the new year and into the future, let’s heed our borough’s motto —’Ne cedis malis‘ Latin for ‘Do Not Yield To Evil’ — something which destroyed our borough. Bronx Borough President's Office
Happy New Year and congratulations on your inauguration today. It was a long road but you made it.
Now comes the hard part — living up to your promise of a progressive administration and making this a city for all.
The Bronx has been a neglected Borough in our great city on many levels for so many decades. Sure the last administration helped revive neighborhoods such as Melrose by constructing thousands of low and middle income housing for our working class.
But during the same time, our city squandered billions in tax funded projects in the Bronx. The New Yankee Stadium and the now defaulted parking lots, and the Croton Reservoir project at Van Courtland Park.
Why should this be allowed on the backs of the taxpayers when the owners of the franchise are worth billions? Surely they can build such a stadium on their own.
We’re not saying no to a stadium, we’re saying no to backroom deals without community input as well as no to fiscally irresponsible deals to billion dollar corporations who can fund their own projects.
The $130 million in tax subsidiaries that was thrown at FreshDirect —a very profitable corporation — should be provided to the lifeblood of our communities: our small businesses who need them. FreshDirect is opposed to living wages and many of their workers still need public assistance to survive. Should they really be rewarded with such monies?
With all these monies being thrown at corporations who do not need them we could instead use then for worthwhile projects that will contribute and strengthen our infrastructure and communities.
Thousands of residents are suffering in New York City Housing Apartments in dilapidated projects that desperately need repairs and upgrading — housing is a right, not a luxury.
We can help fast track Metro North access in the Eastern Bronx with the creation of 4 New stations which will directly impact 160,000 Bronxites in shortening commutes and easier access to other employment centers.
A small fraction of these subsidies could even help save a beloved Bronx landmarked building, PS 31 aka the Castle on the Concourse, that the city has left to rot and now faces demolition by the department of buildings. Once again, no where else in the City of New York would a landmark building be demolished and we must not allow this.
Money can be found to shore up the building in the interest of public safety while allowing it to be restored and renovated into apartments for artists including public art spaces. A viable plan has been proposed by SoBro with the backing of Goldman Sachs. Such projects can be found throughout the city but not the Bronx.
These are just but a few important issues that we as Bronx residents need resolution on. There are many more and I am confident that in your interest in making this a city for everyone —a city of five boroughs — that you and your administration along with other elected officials, will better listen to our voices.
Over the past several years, noticeable changes have happened in the Hub along 3rd Avenue or ‘La Tercera’ as it is affectionately known by the Puerto Rican community, who were the first latinos to settle the area, and now simply the Latino community at large.
Late this summer we saw the opening of the luxury boutique Opera House Hotel on 149th Street —the first of its kind in the entire borough of the Bronx (bringing a Crunch Fitness with it). There were naysayers that such a venture would just not work but on the contrary, it’s had a very successful run in such a short time.
National retail chains began taking a serious look at the HUB with the opening up of The Children’s Place, Planet Fitness, and Aldi Food Market — the parent company of Trader Joe’s.
Not one but two Blink Fitness gyms (the chain’s parent company is the high end gym Equinox) opened in Melrose where the HUB is located.
There is even My Wellness Solutions, a specialty wellness spa which opened up 3 years ago catering to holistic approach to health and providing a wide variety of services such as massage therapy, facials, body wraps and more.
The Bronx Documentary Center, which opened its doors a little over 2 years ago has brought thousands of people —including many long time residents— through its doors and the neighborhood to experience the gallery’s top quality and internationally reviewed exhibitions and documentary screenings.
Many of the stores along 3rd Avenue have improved and even renovated their once dingy and uninviting storefronts.
Now with the planned development of ‘La Central’, directly behind 3rd Avenue on Bergen Avenue, the area will see a flood of more middle income residents as well as low income working class individuals needing New and better services than before.
Triangle Plaza is going up on 149th Street and Bergen Avenue which will bring with it more retail space and will house Metropolitan College of New York bringing a total to four institutions of higher learning in and around the HUB.
La Central brings with it 985 units of housing which will be for low and middle income working families. As you already know from Welcome2Melrose and Welcome2TheBronx thousands of apartments have been constructed in Melrose surrounding the HUB with thousands of new working class middle and low income residents.
According to Crain’s New York, “Since 2008, 20 new buildings with 3,700 apartments have gone up around the South Bronx retail strip known as the HUB, bringing an army of higher-income residents. Now all they need is someplace to shop.” The article goes on to say that the average income of these new residents at $35,000 a year is already 50% higher than long-time residents.
Of these buildings, the Aurora Condominium along with the Orion Condominium and the Co-ops at Via Verde brought a total of 223 middle income apartments providing area residents with homeownership opportunities. This number doesn’t include the 265 condominium units at Melrose Court which was built in the 1990s nor does it include the just over a hundred newly built 1-3 family homes in Melrose surrounding the HUB.
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Both long time residents and new comers, low and middle income alike are clamoring for better services. Let’s not forget that the area is swamped by 200,000 people a day who come to visit the shopping district as well as the thousands of professional workers in the office buildings along 149th, 3 colleges and Lincoln Hospital.
Now is the time for those crafty mom and pop shops, the small business owners, and savvy retailers to make their way to the Hub and 149th Street as rents are still ridiculously low for commercial spaces.
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Killian Jordan, a local resident in the affected area along with the help of a group of other concerned residents put together the following document so that we may keep the community informed.
FACT SHEET
In December of 2013, it was announced that a new soccer stadium might be built in the South Bronx.
The players:
Primary owner (80%): Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan has a personal fortune of $4.9 billion, and his family has amassed an oil fortune of $150 billion. He is the third-richest person in the world.
Minority partner (20%): the New York Yankees, ranked as the third most valuable sports team in the world (behind Manchester United and the Dallas Cowboys), with a value of $1.7 billion.
These partners have paid Major League Soccer $100 million for the new franchise, New York City Football Club (NYCFC).
The history:
This stadium was originally proposed for Flushing-Meadows Corona Park in Queens, but community opposition was strong, based on (a) the loss of public parkland, and (b) studies showing that new stadiums do not bring any long-term economic benefits to the communities in which they are built.
Major League Soccer’s Commissioner, Don Garber, said at a public meeting in Queens that the stadium would be privately financed and would create at least 3,000 permanent and temporary jobs. Neither of these is true for the Bronx proposal.
This past summer, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz invited NYCFC to look at a site in the Bronx on River Avenue, where a parking garage (built on NYC parkland) had been standing nearly empty. Using this site for a stadium would also entail relocating a 400-job manufacturing plant (GAL), closing part of 153rd Street, and altering an access point for the Major Deegan Expressway.
In December 2013 the Bloomberg administration signed a nonbinding agreement for a $350 million, 28,000-seat, soccer-only project at the newly proposed site. No community input had been sought prior to the signing of this agreement.
The deal:
The estimated stadium cost is $350 million – before the usual cost overruns. Under the current understanding, it would largely be financed by City taxpayers, and NYCFC would be responsible for paying off the debt the City takes on. Mayor Bloomberg would have the city issue $250 to $300 million in tax-exempt bonds, costing New York State and the federal government millions in taxes over 38 years. The City would also grant immediate sales tax and mortgage recording tax exemptions worth about $21.5 million.
Location of proposed MLS Soccer Stadium
It is not yet known whether this estimate includes demolition of the existing garage and GAL’s facility, demapping portions of 153rd St., altering the Deegan access, addressing the property’s drainage issues, possible changes in the MetroNorth overpass, and other related costs – or who would pay those.
Other facts:
The standard MLS season consists of 34 games, apart from playoffs. Half of these are played at home.
Stadium review and construction is estimated to last until 2018. The soccer team will begin its schedule playing in Yankee Stadium in 2015.
No studies have found financial benefits for communities in which new stadiums are placed. Many studies have found the reverse.
The River Avenue corridor has among the highest asthma rates and obesity rates in the nation.
Possible subjects for discussion:
If the deal goes through, the community will express its wishes and priorities for ways that the new stadium can bring a positive, wholesome unity to the area.
Some items that have been mentioned:
• A portion of local ownership, so that Bronx residents can purchase small pieces of the NYCFC corporation and become shareholders as well as stakeholders
• All jobs pay living wage
• A bricks-and-mortar facility for young people in the community, connected to the main facility. This might be a Boys/Girls Club, P.A.L., YMCA, or similar
• Year-round access to the soccer stadium, with field time/coaching/equipment for local youths generally, local schools (all levels) and such local organizations as South Bronx United particularly
• Extensive traffic mitigation efforts, including keeping open local streets on all game days, incentivizing use of public transit, reinstating ferries for travel to and from games, etc.
• Committed policy of hiring CB 1 & 4 residents for all construction and arena jobs.
• Adding locally owned food concessions to the usual mix, as well as local procurement for goods and services
• Fully green construction and sustainable ongoing operation, with heavy use of alternative energy
• A small-business incubator/marketplace for immigrant-owned businesses in the building or on an adjoining plazas
• And any others you would like to add.
Please note: a second, community-led meeting has been scheduled.
Let’s share ideas about making our voices heard.
Tuesday, January 7
6 p.m., at Bronx Legal Services
The offices of Bronx Legal Services are at 349 East 149th Street, 10th Floor. The building is at the corner of Courtlandt Avenue and 149th Street and has a Citibank on the ground level. By subway, take the 2 or 5 lines to the 149th Street and 3rd Avenue stop and walk one block west.
Aerial view of the proposed development, La Central – Fowler Architects
From East 149th Street and Brook Avenue all the way north to East 153rd Street remains the largest track of city-owned land in the South Bronx. Located in Melrose adjacent to the Hub will rise a massive 985 mixed-income project of the likes the Bronx has never seen.
Earlier this year, after the success of Via Verde which gained world-wide recognition, the city asked for an RFP (Request for Proposal) for the lots across from Via Verde which extended all the way down to East 149th Street and Brook Avenue. They asked developers to think big and to come up with something bigger than greater than Via Verde.
It is with great pleasure that Welcome2TheBronx and Welcome2Melrose introduce you to La Central – a mixed-income, mixed-use project which will include community space for the arts and sciences.
Southwest Along Brook Avenue – FXFowle Architects
La Central, as the massive development project will be called and developed by BRP Development Corporation, Hudson Companies Inc., Common Ground, Comunilife, The Kretchmer Companies, ELH Mgmt LLC, and the Year, will be comprised of 5 buildings and 985 units of mixed-income including 48,000 square foot YMCA-community facility, 43,000 square feet of retail space, 5,000 square foot community space with a recording studio and curate workshops and open recording studio for projects for and by the community, Bronx Astronomy Tower and Lab including a rooftop telescope, and a rooftop farm just to name a few. The development will occupy approximately 185,000 square feet of land. The total cost of the project is currently said to be, “very approximately $345 million.”
According to Bloomberg’s office the development will be broken down as follows:
Building A: 211 affordable apartments; approximately 48,000 square foot YMCA-community facility; a diabetes prevention program operated by Montefiore Medical Center; rooftop farm; approximately 19,000 square feet of new retail space.
Building B: 279 affordable apartments; approximately 24,000 square feet of retail space, including restaurant space; cellar level garage with approximately 138 parking spaces.
Building C: 137 affordable apartments; Music Has No Enemies (MHNE) which will occupy approximately 5,000 square feet of community space consisting of a recording studio and curate workshops and open the recording studio to projects for and by the community.
Building D: 160 affordable apartments; 10,000 square foot mental health clinic operated by Comunilife that will work with veterans living within the development and individuals within the community.
Building E: 198 affordable apartments; Bronx Astronomy Tower and Lab – a rooftop telescope to be used by the Bronx High School of Science; daycare facility.
The approximately 7,000 square-foot triangular vacant lot at the intersection of Brook and Bergen Avenues will be developed as open space, accessible to the general public.
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Area of detailNorth Along Bergen Avenue – FXFowle Architects
In keeping with all new developments in Melrose, you can see from the renderings that open spaces including rooftop areas will play a large part of La Central – FXFowle Architects
The project still has to go through ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure)before any construction can begin. It is currently estimated to begin construction sometime in 2015. “As the size and cost of the project means that it will need to be done in two phases, the development team is estimating that final completion of all of the construction could take approximately four years.” said Ted Weinstein, HPD’s Director of Bronx Planning.
Southern portion of the development site.Largest remaining tract of land in the South Bronx will be the largest development in Southern Melrose once completed. In this panoramic image you can see the lots from the lots from the southern most portion just north of the 2/5 subway line as they emerge underground (right) and all the way north to 153rd Street where Brook meets Bergen Avenue at Via Verde (left) Click to zoom in.
Read an excellent write up by Alice Speri of DNAinfo on the major setback FreshDirect received.
In the article she writes,
Securing the funding would require the unanimous approval of the New York Empowerment Zone Board, which provides incentives for private investors revitalizing poor communities. FreshDirect removed its application for funding from the board’s agenda after Serrano made clear Wednesday that he would vote against it.
“I, along with several other elected officials and many community residents, have had deep misgivings about this project because of its impact on the health of Bronx residents,” the Bronx congressman said in a statement following the board meeting. “My understanding is that this project was removed from the agenda in light of my concerns.”
Speri goes on to write:
FreshDirect has tried to ease critics’ concerns by touting its green initiatives and detailing potential benefits for The Bronx, such as easier access to healthy food and new jobs. But critics said those jobs — mostly low-wage and non-unionized — would only reinforce the cycle of poverty in the neighborhood.
Mayor-elect de Blasio has criticized the proposed subsidies for FreshDirect as a “mistake” and opponents hope action by Serrano and other public officials will put the rest of the benefits package up for reevaluation.
“They are trying to rush this approval through before the new year,” Johnson said. “We’re saying, hold off on giving them any agreement or subsidy until the new mayor-elect comes in. Slow down, let’s look at how this project affects our community.”
Back in mid-August, the Opera House Hotel opened its doors in Melrose as the Bronx’s first luxury boutique lodging of its kind. Many residents were excited about such a place opening up in the Bronx let alone the South Bronx. Others were skeptical and were in the opinion that no one would want to stay in the neighborhood.
Well after four months and 5,237 guests to date, it would seem that the hotel has been a hit. Vincent Hardy, Director of Guest Relations for the Opera House Hotel says, “…these are encouraging numbers but we’re hoping to do a lot better in 2014.
According to Hardy, the hotel has worked hard to obtain a presence on the many online travel agent sites like Expedia and Orbitz to achieve visibility but,”there is no doubt that…Tripadvisor reviews is what is a major deciding factor for guests who are considering booking the hotel.”
With more than 100 reviews on the site, the comments are overwhelmingly positive not just for the hotel but for the neighborhood.
Many guests who reviewed the Opera House Hotel on TripAdvisor didn’t hesitate to mention their apprehension of booking their stay in the Bronx due to our unfortunate reputation from decades old stereotypes.
These same guests often noted in their reviews that they were pleasantly surprised on how safe they felt in the neighborhood even if it had a gritty edge to it.
On November 4th, an Italian guest had this to say on TripAdvisor: “The area is not at all corresponding to that which the word ‘Bronx’ can evoke. It’s a suburb inhabited by simple people, sometimes poor, but very decent. We have never been bothered or harassed. If I went back to NYC again for sure at this hotel. The value for money is super. A special thanks to all the staff! ”
In another review by Philipp R of Germany, he also questioned the safety of staying in the Bronx or the neighborhood and said that his stay at the hotel changed his perception of the area and would stay there again as well as recommend it to his compatriots.
Not all reviews have been great but the negative ones have been miniscule in comparison to the over 95% positive reviews. Several reviewers were less than pleased with the neighborhood but that’s to be expected. Not everyone will ever be satisfied.
It is important to note that if anything is worth mentioning—beyond the luxury accommodations that the guests have been thrilled with —is that the majority who have stayed have stated how safe they felt versus the image they had of the Bronx prior to actually coming here.
With prices half that of equal accommodations in Manhattan and easy access via an adjacent subway station to the major attractions of the Bronx and Manhattan, and Crunch Fitness opening right in the hotel sometime in the Spring of 2014, booking at the Opera House Hotel is an easy decision.
Another victory against FreshDirect and corporate welfare been won today by the residents of the Bronx. Aventura
Today 10 am, the New York Empowerment Zone Corporation Board was to meet and discuss several issues including “recommendations by Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (BOEDC), including authorization of a $3,000,000 loan and a $500,000 grant for FreshDirect to build its trucking operation in the South Bronx, which would bring upwards of 1,000 daily diesel truck trips through a neighborhood with asthma rates eight times the national average!” [South Bronx Unite]
Community residents scrambled and began making calls over the past few days and flooded Congressman José E Serrano’s office — who is voting members of the NYEZ — to vote against these subsidies.
This morning, just before the meeting, we were informed that the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation had withdrawn their item of the $3,500,000 to FreshDirect from the agenda.
It seems that after two years of litigation, petitioning, and overwhelming community disapproval of this project that residents are winning.
It is also fitting that this cancelation happens today as Mayor elect Bill De Blasio reiterated, during his announcement of selecting Dean Fuleihan as Budget Director, that providing corporations with massive subsidies will not happen during his administration but instead focus on small businesses.
In the Face of Certain Defeat by the NYEZ Board, FreshDirect Withdraws Application for $3.5 Million in Subsidies to Relocate to the South Bronx
Today, FreshDirect’s proposed move to the South Bronx suffered a serious setback when it had to withdraw its $3.5 million request via the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (BOEDC) for funding from the New York Empowerment Zone (NYEZ) Board. The withdrawal occurred amidst strong community opposition and after FreshDirect learned that the Board planned to vote “no” and reject the application. In comments made at the Board meeting after the withdrawal had occurred, Board Member and Congressman Jose E. Serrano made clear that he would have voted “no” on the proposed package today, and would do so at any time in the future if BOEDC should decide to resubmit FreshDirect’s application for funding.
Even though the BOEDC and FreshDirect quietly removed their application from the agenda, at the meeting Congressman Serrano, who represents South Bronx residents living in the Empowerment Zone, voiced his strong objections to FreshDirect’s application to receive funds through the Empowerment Zone program and BOEDC’s overall track record as administrator of the Empowerment Zone program in the South Bronx. Congressman Serrano also stated that there’s a new era underway with Mayor-elect de Blasio, who has labelled the proposed subsidies for FreshDirect a “mistake” that is exemplary of the all too common large, unaccountable corporate handouts that fail to deliver on promised “economic development” and fail to pull areas like the South Bronx out of poverty.
In response to this morning’s outcome, Christina Giorgio, Staff Attorney at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest said, “We are pleased that Congressman Jose E. Serrano has sided with the community and blocked FreshDirect from receiving the requested $3.5 million subsidy package. Empowerment Zone funds are to be invested in businesses committed to improving the quality of life for local residents. FreshDirect, with its thousands of daily truck trips and its low-wage jobs, clearly misses the mark and the Congressman Serrano was right to reject the application.”
Mychal Johnson, South Bronx resident and member of South Bronx Unite, added, “This is an important victory in our effort to ensure that the community’s voice matters and real environmental and economic justice are served. It is simply irresponsible to offer public grants, loans and tax breaks for a project that would have such negative health impacts in the South Bronx. We are proud and supportive of Congressman Serrano for hearing the community’s concerns and acting in its best interests. It is time to put a stop to this project and to consider how our publicly-owned waterfront can be put to the benefit of Bronxites through inclusive planning and projects that promote the public’s health and economic well-being.”
The New York Empowerment Zone (NYEZ) is one of nine empowerment zones (EZs) established by the Clinton Administration in 1994 to revitalize distressed communities by using public funds and tax incentives as catalysts for private investment. The designation was accompanied by a federal grant of $100 million and matching grants from New York State and the City of New York of $100 million each, creating a total investment pool of $300 million.
The proposed FreshDirect relocation has yet to receive other key approvals. In addition, the New York State Appellate Court recently heard arguments on a lawsuit challenging, among other things, the City’s failure to require a full environmental impact assessment even though the project would bring more than a thousand diesel truck trips everyday into an increasingly residential community that suffers from high asthma rates.
