Welcome2TheBronx

Tallest Building on the Grand Concourse & Largest Passive House in North America Tops Out

Ed García Conde

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February 1, 2021

Tallest Building on the Grand Concourse & Largest Passive House in North America Tops Out

The site of the former and now demolished landmarked PS 31, is now home to the tallest building on The Bronx’s Grand Concourse and in the South Bronx.

But, at least for now, it has the distinction of also being the largest Passive House in North America and once it’s completed later this year, designed to utilize up to 70% less energy than a typical development according to details from Dattner Architects.

Currently, nearby Park Avenue Green in Melrose at 153rd Street is the largest such development in North America.

*425 Grand Concourse is now the tallest building on the Grand Concourse and the South Bronx. Once completed later this year, it will also be the largest Passive House development in North America*

At 26 stories soaring 290 feet high, 425 Grand Concourse is almost 100 feet taller than the 23 story Executive Towers further north at 165th Street which stands at 203 feet in height and was the tallest on the famed boulevard for almost 60 years since it was completed back in 1963.

425 Grand Concourse will feature 277 affordable residential units, several green rooftops, a supermarket, medical facility, and a student services center for CUNY’s Hostos once completed.

Despite its “affordability”, we know this building will only further fuel the rapid gentrification of the area.

The building will also feature historical elements that were salvaged from the demolition of PS 31 which was once known as The Castle on The Concourse due to its gothic architecture.

*Dattner Architects rendering of 425 Grand Concourse*

But the building won’t be the tallest in the South Bronx for long, as plans have been filed for a 43 story, 400 foot tall development just two blocks away along the Harlem River featuring 710 residential apartments in an area where the skyline is rapidly changing.

Just a few blocks south, you have The Arches luxury residential units with two, 25-story buildings and next to that you have the seven building Bankside development with 1,350 luxury apartments with several towers as high as 25 stories.

*Rising high above Mott Haven, 425 Grand Concourse is now the tallest building in the South Bronx/Rendering via Dattner Architects*

No exact date when construction is scheduled to be completed at 425 Grand Concourse but we’re assuming sometime in the second half of the year.

Once the housing lottery opens and applications are accepted, we will let our readers know.

For Bronx Residents Only: Yankee Stadium to Become Mass Vaccination Site

Ed García Conde

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January 30, 2021

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For Bronx Residents Only: Yankee Stadium to Become Mass Vaccination Site

To help expedite COVID-19 vaccination efforts in a borough where the positivity rate is the highest in New York City, Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that Yankee Stadium will be a mass vaccination site exclusively for Bronx residents.

With a positivity rate at 7.06% as of Friday, The Bronx’s rate is higher than the city average of 5.27% and more than twice Manhattan’s 3.47%.

Meanwhile, the positivity rate as of Friday within 10 Bronx Zip codes immediately around Yankee Stadium have a positivity rate of 10.32%.

Cuomo stated that this will be a joint venture between the city and state with the National Guard constructing and administering the site and SOMOS Community Care will operate it.

When this will all happen is still unknown.

Fans line up outside Yankee Stadium for the opening game back in 2018.

It’s hoped that utilizing the stadium as a mass vaccination site will help slow the spread of the virus but in order for that to actually happen, we not only need a greater increase in supply of the vaccines but we’ll also need people to step up to the plate and get inoculated.

Right now, according to a recent survey, 8% of Bronx residents say they will not take the vaccine with an additional 14% unsure if they’ll take the vaccine.

A lot of these negative sentiments towards receiving the COVID-19 vaccines are a result of either lack of information or misinformation regarding their safety and efficacy.

For example, many Latino and Asian responders to the survey are concerned about the cost of the vaccine, however, the vaccine is free and will be provided at no cost to everyone.

A whopping 49% of Bronx residents are concerned about side effects of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, currently the only two approved for use in the United States, shaping their decision on whether or not they’ll get vaccinated.

As per the Centers for Disease Control, the most common side effects from the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are:

In the arm where you got the shot:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Redness

Throughout the rest of your body:
1. Chills
2. Tiredness (fatigue)
3. Headache

These side effects are similar to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as per information on the FDA’s website.

So while utilizing Yankee Stadium as a mass vaccination site in the fight against the pandemic, we must also do a lot more work to win the trust of our communities and work to understand why Blacks and Latinos may be more hesitant of the vaccine and distrustful.

After all, it was in this country that for 40 years until 1972, the Tuskegee Study was conducted where Black men were used to study the effects of untreated syphilis however none of the men in the study were even told of their diagnosis let alone received any treatment.

And within the Puerto Rican community, many families still remember the traumas of the US government’s forced sterilization program on the island of Puerto Rico where by 1965 a third of women were sterilized.

Although separate events and thousands of miles apart, they intersect within the Black and Latino communities of The Bronx so there should be little surprise as to why there is such mistrust.

A lot of damage has been done and although we’re no longer a society that is doing such things to its people, we have a long road in repairing that trust but it must be approached with a sensitivity to why people feel how they do about getting vaccinated and providing folks with as much education and information on the vaccines as is available.

It’s the only way forward and out of this pandemic.

New Poll Shows Bronx Voters Want More Bike and Bus Lanes, Expanded Sidewalks and Green Spaces

Ed García Conde

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January 26, 2021

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New Poll Shows Bronx Voters Want More Bike and Bus Lanes, Expanded Sidewalks and Green Spaces

A new poll commissioned by Transportation Alternatives and conducted by Sienna College indicates that Bronx residents want more protected bike lanes and dedicated bus lanes in their neighborhoods even if it means losing parking spaces.

Conducted between November and December of last year, the poll is a call to any candidate seeking office in New York City this year whether in the council or the mayor’s office, if they truly want to make the city a safer and greener place for all.

Bike lanes on Morris Park Avenue after it went on a “road diet” going from two lanes each way to just one each way along with the addition of bike lanes.

According to Transportation Alternatives, collectively, acreage occupied by city streets equals an area just under twice the size of The Bronx. That’s a lot of public space that is not being fully utilized in an equitable manner given that only 32% of residents actually use a car to get around with the remainder relying on walking, subway, buses, or biking.

Transportation Alternatives provided Bronx specific data from the poll to Welcome2TheBronx which revealed the following about Bronx voters:

Clear majorities of Bronx voters support adding more protected bike lanes (65%) and dedicated bus lanes (58%) in their neighborhood
90% of Bronx voters support creating more space for children to play, the highest support of any borough.
60% of Bronx voters supported creating wider sidewalks — the most of any borough.
Bronx and Manhattan voters were the most likely to support increasing the amount of trees and green space, with 85% of voters from each borough reporting that they either “strongly” or “somewhat” supported this idea.

Parts of the Grand Concourse became a playground for kids during the beginning of the pandemic as part of the city’s open streets program to allow for greater social distancing.

Other key findings from the survey include:

BIKE LANES: 68 percent of voters – including majorities in all five boroughs – support adding more protected bike lanes in their neighborhoods. 82 percent of Hispanic voters support adding protected bike lanes in their neighborhoods.

BIKE SHARE: 56 percent of voters believe that bike share stations are an important use of curb space in their neighborhoods, including 69 percent of voters from households with income less than $50,000 per year.

BUS LANES: 56 percent of voters support using space currently used for parking in order to have protected citywide bus lanes. New Yorkers from households with income below $50,000 a year have the strongest support, with 66 percent supporting.

OPEN RESTAURANTS: 64 percent of voters say outdoor seating for restaurants is an important use of curb space in their neighborhood, including 78 percent of voters in Manhattan.

OPEN STREETS: 63 percent of voters support the expansion of Open Streets in their neighborhood, including 76 percent of voters under age thirty-five.

CROSSWALK SAFETY: 85 percent of voters strongly or somewhat support efforts to improve crosswalk safety. 74 percent of Staten Island voters and 77 percent of Black voters strongly support these efforts, even if it results in fewer parking spaces.

WIDER SIDEWALKS: 58 percent support adding wider sidewalks to their neighborhood, including 70 percent of voters under age thirty-five. even if it results in fewer parking spaces.

PLAYGROUNDS: 84 percent of voters support adding more space for children to play in their neighborhood, including 90 percent of Bronx voters, even if it results in fewer parking spaces.

GREENERY: 83 percent of voters support adding more trees and greenery to their neighborhood, including 87 percent of Hispanic voters, even if it results in fewer parking spaces.

BENCHES: 75 percent of voters support creating more places to sit such as benches, even if it results in fewer parking spaces.

CAR OWNERS: A super-majority of voters from households that own a car support enhancing crosswalk safety (84 percent) and adding space for children to play (82 percent), even if it takes away parking spaces. 61 percent support adding more protected bike lanes in their neighborhood. 60 percent believe that outdoor seating for restaurants is an important use of curb space and 57 percent support Open Streets expansion in their neighborhood.

The need for more protected bike lanes in The Bronx is a critical one in terms of safety.

By December of last year, injuries to Bronx cyclists soared by 45% compared to the same period in 2019 and yet with cycling on the rise thanks to interest and Citi Bike finally arriving in the borough, the city has done little to protect these riders.

Trucks and cars race along side a bike lane along Bruckner Boulevard in Port Morris.

Only 3% of protected bike lanes are located in The Bronx compared to Manhattan with 50% of the city’s total.

StreetsBlogNYC reported in December:

The rise in injuries is a result of poor infrastructure. When the city announced it was installing nine miles of pop-up bike lanes to aid in the city’s pandemic recovery, for example, none was in the Bronx, pointed out Erwin Figueroa, director of organizing at Transportation Alternatives.

“It’s not a unique problem because of the pandemic, it’s something that has been building to this point,” he said. “There’s been an increase in cycling, including in the Bronx, but also the Bronx has not received the same amount of infrastructure. There were a number of announcements from the city highlighting where they were going to implement projects before COVID, and they never made an announcement coming for the Bronx.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio campaigned on ending the tale of two cities yet his administration did little to change the status quo and this is reflected in how the city has continued to treat Bronx infrastructure as an afterthought by throwing us a few crumbs.

Our current and future elected officials MUST fight for all New Yorkers and if our borough leaders truly want us to not be “62” then they can start by building a healthier Bronx with more protected bike lanes and open spaces.

If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us one thing about our city is that our streetscapes can be reimagined if there’s a will—and we have seen that there is a way.

A Wise Latina From the Bronx Took Center Stage in History at Today’s Inauguration

Ed García Conde

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January 20, 2021

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A Wise Latina From the Bronx Took Center Stage in History at Today’s Inauguration

History today was made as Kamala Harris was sworn in as America’s first woman Vice-President and first Black and Indian American to hold that position—and a woman from The Bronx was part of this historic moment.

Sonia Sotomayor, the Bronx born and raised Puerto Rican who went on to become America’s first Latina Supreme Court Justice, administered the vice presidential oath to Kamala Harris.

*Kamala Harris (left) is sworn in as vice-president by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor (right) from The Bronx.*

No matter where you are on the political spectrum, this moment is monumental for our country.

Two women of color making history for all the world to see showing young girls across the country and that there is a place for them at the top, especially young girls of color.

Justice Sotomayor was born on June 25, 1954 in The Bronx and raised in Soundview at the Bronxdale Houses, a New York City Housing project which was renamed Sotomayor Houses in 2010 in her honor.

During her grammar school years she attended Blessed Sacrament Catholic School and went on to Cardinal Spellman High School (my alma mater) where she graduated in 1972 as valedictorian.

Sotomayor went on to attend Princeton University on a full scholarship and then onto Yale Law School and was awarded her Juris Doctor from that institution in 1979.

Fast forward to 1992, the future Supreme Court justice shattered the glass ceiling when she became the youngest judge in the Southern District, the first federal judge in New York State of Latino descent and the first Puerto Rican female judge to serve in a US federal court.

Then in 2009, then President Obama nominated her to the Supreme Court and on August 6 of that year she was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in two days later becoming the 111th justice of the Supreme Court and the first Latina and Puerto Rican to serve as such in American history.

And now today, a wise Latina from The Bronx made history yet again as she administered the oath of office to America’s first Black and South Asian woman Vice-President and all under the backdrop of the Capital dome which was constructed right here in The Bronx.

Many Bronxites also commented on the historical significance of the day including Marjorie Velasquez, a progressive Democrat running for New York City Council District 13 which covers the East Bronx neighborhoods from Co-op City to Throggs Neck and Morris Park to City Island.

“It’s hard to find the words to express what it felt like watching the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, swear in the first woman–a Black and South Asian daughter of immigrants–to become Vice President of the United States.” said Velasquez.

And it wasn’t only Justice Sotomayor representing The Bronx but JLo was there too singing “This Land is Your Land” as part of the inaugural festivities something noted by Velasquez who added, “And having Jennifer Lopez there singing at the inauguration, another Latina from The Bronx, was such a powerful reminder that any of us could be there. Representation has been hard won, but finally, we’re seeing it.”

“We did this” she added.

Apply for New 2 Bedroom Apartments as Low as $828 a Month in The Bronx

Ed García Conde

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January 18, 2021

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Apply for New 2 Bedroom Apartments as Low as $828 a Month in The Bronx

Applications are now being accepted for brand new apartments in the The Bronx ranging from studios to 3 bedroom units.

Located at The Grand Apartments, a three building affordable housing development spread across Mount Hope and Fordham Heights, the apartments are available for a wide range of income requirements from 40 to 80% of the area median income.

220 East 178th Street is currently under construction.

There are also 8 project based voucher units set aside where eligible residents will have to qualify for section 8 for these specific units which means they pay 30% of their income which means rents can be as low as ZERO a month for families who currently have no income.

All other units have income requirements starting at $20,572 to as high as $112,800 depending on unit and household size.

On the low end, monthly rents for the units begin as follows: studios at $536, 1 bedroom at $682, 2 bedrooms at $828, and 3 bedrooms for $949. (for a full schedule of available units and rents, go here.)

225 E 179th Street is also currently under construction.

Some of the units have private terraces and outdoor space and some of the buildings have rooftop terraces, private gym, and separate laundry facilities.

You have until February 9, 2021 to apply so head over to Housing Connect and do so if you’re interested.

REMEMBER: Do NOT contact us about this or any other apartment opportunities you may come across our site as we are NOT a Real Estate company nor can we assist you. We are simply reporting the availability of units.

Good luck to all who apply!

New York City Will End Trump’s Contract at Bronx Golf Course

News

Ed García Conde

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January 13, 2021

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New York City Will End Trump’s Contract at Bronx Golf Course

On Monday Welcome2TheBronx started a petition calling for Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council to cancel the Trump organization’s contract for running the golf course at Ferry Point Park in Throggs Neck joining the growing chorus across the city demanding for the removal of not just his name but organization on city owned property.

This morning Mayor de Blasio has announced that New York City will end contracts with the Trump organization at Ferry Point Park’s golf course, two Central Park ice rinks and carousel.

Ferry Point Park’s golf course will no longer bear Trump’s name or be run by his organization.

The New York Times reports:

“Inciting an insurrection against the U.S. government clearly constitutes criminal activity,” Mr. de Blasio said in an interview on MSNBC on Wednesday. “The City of New York will no longer have anything to do with the Trump Organization.”

Back in 2015, Welcome2TheBronx started a similar petition when Trump announced his candidacy and made disparaging remarks about Mexican immigrants.

That petition received almost 7,000 signatures but went nowhere after the city looked into the contracts and couldn’t get out of the contract.

Six years later we finally have some closure on the issue.

The golf course itself should perhaps be renamed Lenape Links in honor of the indigenous peoples who occupied these lands prior to European colonization as suggested by Dr Mark Naison of Fordham University, however, others have pointed out that while this is a great idea, the Lenape people should be involved in the decision making of such a renaming.

Others think the golf course should be removed and the land simply returned to the people as park land.

What are your thoughts?

Trump Must Be Removed From Office Due to the Danger He Poses to Our Nation

News

Ed García Conde

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January 8, 2021

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Trump Must Be Removed From Office Due to the Danger He Poses to Our Nation

I’m honestly afraid for this country now more than ever.

Five years going on six of Trump fomenting lies and conspiracy theories and worse as president. His disciples believe every lie he and his fake media utters.

They believe Wednesday’s insurrection and attack on our nation’s Capitol, instigated by the most dangerous and negligent president in United States history, wasn’t caused by Trump’s calls to his supporters to storm the Capitol because they believe they are all peaceful. They legit believe it was left wing protesters and ANTIFA.

WE ARE DOOMED AS A NATION.

The World Watches White Supremacy in Action in America

They are justifying it by comparing their actions to that of protestors and looters during the Black Lives Matter marches across this nation but the two are not analogous: BLM marches and fights against the indiscriminate slaughter of Black and Brown bodies by the police while the insurrectionists are fighting for lies and conspiracy theories promulgated by a criminal and white supremacist who happens to be Donald Trump and who so desperately wants to hold onto power and become a dictator that is enabled by seditious Trump loyalists in the Senate and House of Representatives.

The entire world witnessed first hand that if you’re a white insurrectionist, you will be escorted by the police into the federal building you’re storming into and they will take selfies with you and if you’re peacefully protesting against this disgusting, racist country of ours and the murder of our people, you will get a boot to the neck and have your body physically violated and or killed.

The world saw that white terrorists and insurrectionists are not even arrested by the hundreds or thousands or met with a military force. They can walk away—even if they are responsible for the deaths of five individuals including a police officer.

It seems only Blue Lives Matter as long as the police are killing Black and Brown people and harming BIPOC communities but if they interfere with white supremacists then they no longer matter.

But here’s the thing, as mentioned before, we saw where the police stood: They allowed this to happen.

Days before January 6, the Chief of Capitol police was grilled about safety and security for what would be a tense day.

According to The New York Times, he assured Congresswoman Maxine Waters that they were on top of it.

Clearly they weren’t.

The New York Times reports:

“Policing experts noted the absence of crowd-control tools such as mounted officers, police dogs or a heavily manned perimeter.

“Pentagon officials said Thursday that the Capitol Police had turned down an offer for additional National Guard troops before Wednesday’s storming of the Capitol, and two law enforcement officials said they had initially rebuffed help from the F.B.I. as the mob descended.“

This Was a Planned, Violent Coup

It wasn’t a surprise that there were plans to storm the Capitol, I mean the chatter was all over right-wing websites which was simply ignored.

Even NATO and other European officials are seeing this for what it was: An attempted coup.

Business Insider reports:

While they did not furnish evidence that federal agency officials facilitated the chaos, Insider is reporting this information because it illustrates the scale and seriousness of Wednesday’s events: America’s international military and security allies are now willing to give serious credence to the idea that Trump deliberately tried to violently overturn an election and that some federal law-enforcement agents — by omission or otherwise — facilitated the attempt.

One NATO source set the stage, using terms more commonly used to describe unrest in developing countries.

“The defeated president gives a speech to a group of supporters where he tells them he was robbed of the election, denounces his own administration’s members and party as traitors, and tells his supporters to storm the building where the voting is being held,” the NATO intelligence official said.

“The supporters, many dressed in military attire and waving revolutionary-style flags, then storm the building where the federal law-enforcement agencies controlled by the current president do not establish a security cordon, and the protesters quickly overwhelm the last line of police.

“The president then makes a public statement to the supporters attacking the Capitol that he loves them but doesn’t really tell them to stop,” the official said. “Today I am briefing my government that we believe with a reasonable level of certainty that Donald Trump attempted a coup that failed when the system did not buckle.

“I can’t believe this happened.”

Is it a surprise to the BIPOC community that what would be a mostly white gathering of dangerous right wing extremists like the Proud Boys along with members of armed militias outside our nation’s Capitol would be met with such indifference while unarmed Black and Brown protestors across the country last summer were met with militarized police forces that often utilized brutal force and tear gassed them?

No.

With the absence of the necessary safety and security precautions that one would expect at the Capitol, one can assume that this was a planned part of the failed coup.

As a person of color, it exhausts me to live in the country of my birth and the country I so love so much. I can only imagine how much worse it feels for my fellow Black friends.

I have never been so disgusted with his followers and there is no hope for relations with them there is no olive branch to extend, no working together.

They have been brainwashed into believing that the media is the enemy of the people and that we are liars and that the only media to be trusted are the ones that feed them the lies they want to so desperately believe as truth.

Stop with the kumbaya. Stop with the “when they go low we go high”. They have never reached across the aisle to work with us why should democrats along with Biden do that? Spare me the “because we are better speech.”

We are far beyond that point and will have to live with 74 million irrational, bat shit crazy people who believe in lie after lie after lie.

They have lost all grips on reality. Every. Single one. There are no good people among them as harsh as that sounds. Good people don’t lead the country they purport to care about to the brink of destruction.

Good people don’t scream communist and socialist when all the left is trying to do is make sure everyone gets the help they deserve and their basic human rights are covered versus the rich and corporations having it all without paying their fair share.

FYI it’s modern slavery with us building their wealth while we struggle to survive with crumbs.

It is OUR labor, it is OUR workers who have made that wealth yet 99% will rarely accrue and yet it is the average American that the right would rather attack and the ultimate irony is that they only hurt themselves in the process.

It will become a progressively scarier America that no wall will help because the enemy was always our fellow Americans and not some foreign threat.

This is the legacy Republicans have bestowed upon our nation. Their past destruction of our nation is nothing compared to what happened yesterday as a culmination of a wannabe dictator and his wannabee fascist army.

Let us also not forget the seditious Senate and House Republicans who further instigated this. They all have blood on their hands.

This was an attempted, yet failed coup instigated by the very president who took an oath to protect our constitution and nation against enemies both foreign AND domestic.

And as the hours and days go by in one of the darkest days of our nation’s history, we are seeing more and more that Trump, that pathetic, insecure, and poor excuse for a human being, did not act alone.

There is no hope for America, mark my words and don’t be fooled by wishful thinking and eloquent politicians telling you otherwise.

Wednesday marked an official beginning of insurrectionists not just living in our country but walking free after attacking the Capitol which has not been breached in over 200 years in 1814 during the war of 1812.

Did the Trumpism make America great again? No, we are the laughingstock of the world, friends and foes alike.

The MAGA crew handed a victory to China and all adversaries they consider a threat.

All we have left is to pick up the pieces and govern with integrity and lead by example.

Sadly, the right has become the very enemy, the very bogeyman they feared and in order to attempt to begin to heal our nation we must sever and cauturize the conduit of this hatred that festers in our country by removing Trump immediately.

Woodlawn and Wakefield in The Bronx Have the Highest Rate of New Covid-19 Infections in NYC

Ed García Conde

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January 4, 2021

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Woodlawn and Wakefield in The Bronx Have the Highest Rate of New Covid-19 Infections in NYC

Recently released data from the New York City Department of Health indicates a grim statistic: The 10470 zip code in The Bronx, covering Woodlawn and parts of Wakefield, has a positivity rate of 18.66% for COVID-19 making it the highest of any zip code in the city.

The data is as of December 25th straight through New Year’s Eve on December 31st with 86 people out of 461 testing positive for the coronavirus.

And within our borough it’s not just 10470 but across all corners of the borough the positivity rate is at alarming levels as the second wave takes a grip across the city.

10474 covering Hunts Point has a 16.5% positivity rate followed by 10465 in Country Club and Throggs Neck with a 14.74% positive rate.

Soundview’s 10472 is right behind at 14.65% and Fordham and Kingsbridge’s 10468 at 13.78%

Overall, The Bronx now has the second highest positivity rate in the city at 10.87% during the same time period and second only to Staten Island.

Meanwhile in Manhattan, the positivity rate is almost half the city’s 8.55% and is the lowest of the five boroughs at 4.61%

This is yet another clear indicator that the COVID-19 pandemic battle is unequal across the city particularly in low income areas.

And the numbers are increasing daily. New York City registered 6,106 positive COVID-19 cases on December 28th—the single highest thus far since April 7 of last year which registered a high of 6,260 positive cases and at this rate we are on track to eclipse the record of 6,578 cases on April 6 of 2020.

Hospitalizations and deaths, although nowhere near what they were in the first months of the pandemic, are also on the rise and are at levels unseen since May and June of last year.

Since mid December, on average, over 30 people a day have died due to COVID-19.

We need more aggressive testing with increased, free testing sites across The Bronx to make sure enough people are getting tested.

Knowing your status is part of the battle but we must also enforce mask wearing and social distancing protocols. Just because the vaccine is here doesn’t mean we get to relax. It’s going to be a long time before a sufficient amount of the population is vaccinated in order for herd immunity to kick in.

The rates are increasing and we need to do what we can to stop it before it gets any worse. We’ve been warned for months that this day would come again but here we are because si many people simply put their selfish needs to gather during the holidays before that of the greater good of their friends, loved ones, neighbors, and communities.

We must do better.

Bronx Billionaire Native Drops $35 Million on Fordham University—Single Largest Gift in the Institution’s History

Ed García Conde

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December 28, 2020

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Bronx Billionaire Native Drops $35 Million on Fordham University—Single Largest Gift in the Institution’s History

Fordham University has received a record-breaking donation from a Bronx native turned billionaire.

Mario J. Gabelli of Greenwich, Connecticut and graduate of Fordham University in 1965, donated $35 million to the university earlier this month exceeding his 2010 donation of $25 million its business school was named in his honor.

Regina Pitaro and Mario J. Gabelli
Photo by Chris Taggart/Courtesy Fordham News

According to Fordham University, the latest donation will go towards, among other things, funding scholarships for students seeking a masters or PhD in business administration.

Fordham News writes:

“Gabelli is a philanthropist, investor, and Chairman and CEO of GAMCO Investors, Inc. A native of the Bronx, his mother was born in Italy, as was his sister. His father returned to Italy from Western Pennsylvania at the age of 2, following his own father’s death in a coal mining accident.

“In addition to his Fordham degree, he earned an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School in 1967. His wife, Regina M. Pitaro, is a 1976 graduate of Fordham College at Rose Hill and a trustee fellow of Fordham University. Pitaro also holds a master’s degree from Loyola University Chicago and earned her M.B.A. from the Columbia Business School in 1982.”

Hopefully many lucky Bronxites will benefit directly from this generous gift from Mr Gabelli.

A Christmas Message to Our Bronx Family

News

Ed García Conde

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December 25, 2020

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This holiday season is supposed to be filled with joyous celebrations for many, however, this is unlike any other year.

4,164 Bronxites have been confirmed dead as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and another 939 are suspected to have perished from the virus.

That’s 5,103 lives lost thus far.

That’s 5,103 empty chairs at a family gathering during the holidays in The Bronx.

To those families and their extended network experiencing their first holidays without their loved ones, we extend our greatest sympathies during what is a difficult time.

And then we have those needlessly suffering economically due to an incompetent government, from the President to Congress, that has done absolutely nothing to help its people.

Instead, during this time as Americans died and suffered and got poorer, billionaires and corporations got richer as they profited off the pandemic at the cost of small business owners.

While there is relief in sight with two coronavirus vaccines approved, it will be a long time before the country reaches 75% vaccination which is scientifically understood to be the minimum to develop herd immunity.

And it will be even longer for the economic crisis and suffering to abate.

But we’re from The Bronx, we’ve been to hell and back and we can and will survive this—together—as we always have done.

We know the journey ahead isn’t easy and will be filled with difficulties but we believe in that indomitable Bronx strong spirit that will carry us on whether through our own actions or that of our neighbors.

Brand New 2 Bedroom Apartments as Low as $557 a Month Now Available in Soundview

Ed García Conde

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December 23, 2020

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Affordable housing lottery for a brand new development in Soundview is now open and accepting applications.

Located at 1230 Metcalf Avenue, Metcalf Avenue Apartments is a 11 story development with 223 units ranging from studios to 3 bedroom units across 219,546 square feet and is just a few blocks away from the Morrison Avenue-Soundview station on the 6 line.

These units are available for a wide range of incomes offering deeply affordable units with rents as low as $354 for studios for those making 30% of the AMI ($14,640-$27,300 a year) to rents as high as $2,346 for three bedroom units for those making 110% of the Area Median Income ($85,098-$155,100 a year).

Oh and did we mention that each unit comes with its own dishwasher and air conditioning?

Unit breakdown, rents and income requirements are as follows:

30% Area Median Income

Layout	# Units	Monthly Rent	Household Size and Income Requirements
Studio	2 units	$354	1 person: $14,640 – $23,880 2 person: $14,640 – $27,300
1 Bedroom	12 units	$456	1 person: $18,480 – $23,880 2 people: $18,480 – $27,300 3 people: $18,480 – $30,720
2 Bedroom	9 units	$557	2 people: $22,835 – $27,300 3 people: $22,835 – $30,720 4 people: $22,835 – $34,110 5 people: $22,835 – $36,840
3 Bedroom	2 units	$637	3 people: $26,503 – $30,720 4 people: $26,503 – $34,110 5 people: $26,503 – $36,840 6 people: $26,503 – $39,570 7 people: $26,503 – $42,300

50% Area Median Income:

Layout	# Units	Monthly Rent	Household Size and Income Requirements
Studio	6 units	$667	1 person: $25,372 – $39,800 2 people: $25,372 – $45,500
1 Bedroom	20 units	$848	1 person: $31,920 – $39,800 2 people: $31,920 – $45,500 3 people: $31,920 – $51,200
2 Bedroom	18 units	$1,027	2 people: $38,949 – $45,500 3 people: $38,949 – $51,200 4 people: $38,949 – $56,850 5 people: $38,949 – $61,400
3 Bedroom	5 units	$1,179	3 people: $45,086 – $51,200 4 people: $45,086 – $56,850 5 people: $45,086 – $61,400 6 people: $45,086 – $65,950 7 people: $45,086 – $70,500

70% Area Median Income

Layout	# Units	Monthly Rent	Household Size and Income Requirements
Studio	6 units	$980	1 person: $36,103 – $55,720 2 people: $36,103 – $63,700
1 Bedroom	20 units	$1,239	1 person: $45,326 – $55,720 2 people: $45,326 – $63,700 3 people: $45,326 – $71,680
2 Bedroom	19 units	$1,496	2 people: $55,029 – $63,700 3 people: $55,029 – $71,680 4 people: $55,029 – $79,590 5 people: $55,029 – $85,960
3 Bedroom	5 units	$1.722	3 people: $63,703 – $71,680 4 people: $63,703 – $79,590 5 people: $63,703 – $85,960 6 people: $63,703 – $92,330 7 people: $63,703 – $98,700

90% Area Median Income

Layout	# Units	Monthly Rent	Household Size and Income Requirements
Studio	6 units	$1,184	1 person: $43,098 – $71,640 2 people: $43,098 – $81,900
1 Bedroom	27 units	$1,494	1 person: $54,069 – $71,640 2 people: $54,069 – $81,900 3 people: $54,069 – $92,160
2 Bedroom	23 units	$1,802	2 people: $65,520 – $81,900 3 people: $65,520 – $92,160 4 people: $65,520 – $102,330 5 people: $65,520 – $110,520
3 Bedroom	6 units	$2.075	3 people: $75,806 – $92,160 4 people: $75,806 – $102,330 5 people: $75,806 – $110,520 6 people: $75,806 – $118,710 7 people: $75,806 – $126,900

110% Area Median Income

Layout	# Units	Monthly Rent	Household Size and Income Requirements
Studio	5 units	$1,340	1 person: $48,446 – $87,560 2 people: $48,446 – $100,100
1 Bedroom	15 units	$1,689	1 person: $60,755 – $87,560 2 people: $60,755 – $100,100 3 people: $60,755 – $112,640
2 Bedroom	14 units	$2,036	2 people: $73,543 – $100,100 3 people: $73,543 – $112,640 4 people: $73,543 – $125,070 5 people: $73,543 – $135,080
3 Bedroom	3 units	$2,346	3 people: $85,098 – $112,640 4 people: $85,098 – $125,070 5 people: $85,098 – $135,080 6 people: $85,098 – $145,090 7 people: $85,098 – $155,100

The development also has a wide range of amenities like a playground, a party room, outdoor space, a children’s playroom, outdoor terrace, and a rooftop terrace. This development is also pet friendly which is not too common in these lotteries.

It’s also constructed under “Passive House” guidelines which is the highest environmental sustainability certification which provides for excellent indoor air quality and highly energy efficient heating and cooling.

In order to apply, go here and remember, do not contact us as we are NOT affiliated with this or any other real estate development as we are NOT a real estate company.

You have until February 8, 2021 to apply.

Good luck!

The New COVID “Relief” Package, in Perspective to a Bronx Reality, is an Insult

Ed García Conde

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December 22, 2020

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The New COVID “Relief” Package, in Perspective to a Bronx Reality, is an Insult

After months of wrangling in Congress over who should get how much in a new COVID-19 relief / stimulus package, once again the American working class got shafted but nowhere is the insult greater than places like The Bronx where a high cost of living is coupled with some of the highest income inequalities in the region.

After almost 9 months of fighting in Congress and the White House, we were told that our pain and suffering during the pandemic and resulting worst economic crisis in history is worth only a paltry $600 along with an extended weekly federal unemployment benefit of $300.

That’s it.

$600.

How is this supposed to help The Bronx where we have the some of the highest unemployment rates in the country not to mention since the Great Depression? Areas like West Farms have unemployment rates above 25%.

Volunteers with Loving The Bronx have provided and or delivered needed food to well over 30,000 Bronx households since the beginning of the pandemic—and that’s just one group of people of many working across the borough during the crisis. (image courtesy Loving The Bronx)

How is the average Bronxite supposed to survive on that where the average rent is $1,658 a month according to RENTCafé? How is that supposed to cover months and months of back rent owed? What about homeowners who have mortgages significantly higher than that on top of property taxes they still have to pay?

How is a one shot $600 stimulus going to help a family cover their utilities like the internet so their kids can continue remote education or phones to stay connected to the rest of the world? Such utilities alone cost in excess of $200 a month for a typical family in the borough.

How will that help with transportation where a monthly unlimited metro card is $127?

What about childcare for our essential workers? How is $600 going to cover that?

People are starving in an already notoriously hungry borough and lining up at food pantries in numbers unseen in modern times.

Remember, not everyone qualifies for supplemental assistance so there are families that can’t access necessary help by way of food stamps and other aid.

*No matter the weather, Bronx residents line up outdoors waiting hours for food donations at local pantries.*

And will the $325 billion in small business relief including $284 billion which will be forgivable under the Payment Protection Program (PPP) actually be enough AND get to where it’s needed in The Bronx unlike the first time earlier this year where only 40% of eligible small businesses in The Bronx got the PPP according New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office who wrote:

Meanwhile, zeroing in on the 240,355 employee-based businesses in New York City, there are some notable disparities between the boroughs and between industries. For instance, while approximately 53 percent of employee-based small businesses in Brooklyn, 52 percent in Manhattan, 50 percent in Staten Island, and 48 percent in Queens received a PPP loan, only 40 percent in the Bronx were PPP recipients (see Chart 5).
The Failures of PPP in NYC

At a MINIMUM, we deserve a monthly $1,200 ($2,000 preferably) stimulus check RETROACTIVE to the first and continued through at least 6 months PAST the end of the pandemic and economic crisis ALONG with an extension of the $600 weekly federal pandemic unemployment benefits not $300.

And this is just what’s owed to us as people.

Small businesses need to be bailed out with a huge focus on the restaurant industry in harder hit areas. The arts as well as mass transit in cities like NYC.

Now is also the time to invest in a Green New Deal too which will provide jobs for those who want them.

All of this could literally transform this country and uplift more folks out of poverty (along with FREE EDUCATION AND MEDICARE FOR ALL).

Instead of helping the country, Congress abandoned us by also dropping state aid in this bill.

But somehow Congress found $1.375 billion for building 55 miles of Trump’s border wall which a solid majority of Americans oppose.

We have the money we just don’t want to give it to the working class and instead give tax cuts and breaks to the rich and corporations and overly bloat police departments so that they can kill Black and BIPOC folks with impunity while congress still gets paid and pay their rents and mortgages.

And where does all this money come from? Who’s gonna pay for it? Us. We already paid for it and continue to pay through our taxes. No one ever asks who’s gonna pay for endless wars and over bloated defense budgets. No one ever asks who’s gonna pay for the tax cuts to the rich and powerful corporations (hint: It’s us, the working class).

Our country should be embarrassed for how we treat our people. If other countries can take care of their people, not just in times of need but always, why can’t the supposed greatest country in history?