A Joro Spider/Dave Coyle, PhD – Clemson University
By now, if you happen to inhabit any social media space, you may have seen a sensationalist headline declaring that “GIANT VENOMOUS FLYING SPIDERS ARE HEADING TO NY,” and perhaps (especially if you’re arachnophobic), you may have been sent into a panic.
But all of this buzz is simply poor journalism and sensationalism.
Earlier this year, several news sites began reporting that an invasive species of giant, colorful spiders from Asia called Joro, may finally arrive in the New York City metro area after having arrived in Georgia in 2013.
While the news reports have accurately described the spiders as venomous, according to experts, they are not considered to be harmful or a threat to humans or animals—unless you’re a bug that happens to land on their webs.
David Coyle, PhD at Clemson University, is a widely recognized expert on invasive species, including the Joro spider, and has publicly called out the fear-mongering by the media over this on X saying, “The amount of fear-mongering with this thing is outrageous.”
Thanks for calling this out @MattGertz. The amount of fear-mongering with this thing is outrageous. No, their legs aren't 4" long. No, they don't "fly" like birds. All it would've taken is a quick call to someone (heck, maybe even that Coyle guy) to get the facts straight. https://t.co/VmftydlDIz
According to an article published on WebMD that was medically reviewed by a physician, “…Joro spiders present little threat to humans and pets…The spider also has small fangs that don’t easily pierce human skin. In the unlikely event that a Joro spider bites you, the bite will feel like a bee sting and may cause temporary redness.”
The article goes on to further state that while the spider is venomous, it’s not harmful to humans and will only affect insects.
It’s also worth mentioning that the spiders don’t actually “fly” like birds do but instead use their silk to be carried by the wind in order to travel by air.
Now that you know the actual facts, you don’t have to worry about these spiders that actually eat another invasive species that have taken over NYC: The spotted lanternfly.
Maybe with their arrival we’ll finally get the spotted lanternfly situation under some control.
In the meantime, the mainstream media needs to do better than post click-bait headlines and have some sort of journalistic integrity and not bury the lede.
Bally’s gambling complex proposal at the former Trump Links in Throggs Neck relies on getting state approval to alienate parkland, but lacks local leaders’ support as the legislative session winds down.
The former Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point sits in the shadow of the Whitestone Bridge. Credit: Spencer T Tucker/Mayoral Photography Office
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The odds for a proposed Bronx casino could be getting dicey as local lawmakers resist permitting use of local park space — paralleling pushback that is complicating a gaming pitch for Queens.
The resort operator Bally’s is seeking to build a 3.1 million-square-foot complex within Ferry Point Park in Throggs Neck, where it already operates the city-owned golf course formerly controlled by a company associated with former President Donald Trump.
As described by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce, which is seeking environmental review for the proposed project, “Bally’s Bronx” would feature a half-million-square foot gaming hall as well as food and beverage service, a hotel with a spa and meeting space, retail shops, a 2,000-seat event center and a parking garage for up to 4,660 vehicles.
The city’s proposal will be the subject of a public hearing next month as the first step of environmental review related to widening a road within the park.
But the proposed project would also require the state legislature to approve “alienating” some park land for commercial purposes, with support of local Bronx representatives — and no such legislation has been drafted as this year’s legislative session enters its final days.
One of them, Michael Benedetto (D-The Bronx), told THE CITY he has not taken action this session.
“I am certainly listening to the thoughts and concerns of my constituents before making a decision here to support or oppose this proposal,” Benedetto said in a written statement. “I have not introduced any legislation to alienate parkland,” he wrote, and “I am not advocating for any alienation bill.”
Benedetto is facing a reelection challenge in the June 25 primary from Jonathan Soto, who is running against the incumbent for the third time on a democratic socialist platform.
Meanwhile, the office of State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez declined to comment, citing more pressing legislative priorities in the final days of the session, which runs from January through early June.
Bally’s did not respond to a request for comment from THE CITY.
Bally’s already faced an uphill battle to establish a gaming facility. It is just one
in a competitive field of 11 bidders vying for three downstate licenses to operate a casino, two of which are expected to go to existing operators of racetrack betting facilities in Queens and Yonkers.
Benedetto’s statement to THE CITY comes on the heels of the announcement this week by State Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens) that she will not support legislation to alienate parkland in Willets Point currently used as a Citi Field parking lot, action that had been requested by Mets owner Steve Cohen for his own casino proposal. The state legislature customarily allows the local member to decide whether or not to introduce such a measure, effectively giving them a veto.
“This is an absolute barrier,” Rebecca Bratspies, a CUNY School of Law professor specializing in environmental law, told THE CITY. “You cannot alienate parkland without an act of the legislature,” precisely because it “is so precious and so vulnerable” a public resource.
The last day on the calendar for the State Legislature to introduce bills without a special session is June 6. The New York State Gaming Commission is reportedly expected to award licenses in late 2025. `
Last summer, the city sought to temporarily alienate a portion of Van Cortlandt Park to erect a huge temporary stadium to host matches in the ICC 2024 Cricket World Cup, drawing fierce criticism from local groups. Organizers then reached a deal with Nassau County for a new stadium there.
Bally’s now faces a similar hurdle in the absence of an alienation bill.
“Either they have to reconfigure their project to not use parkland, which is entirely possible and they may well have that in their back pocket as Plan B,” said Bratspies. “Or they will not be able to move forward.”
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While Welcome2TheBronx is a news site dedicated to reporting on what’s going on in The Bronx, occasionally something comes up across New York City that’s worth mentioning.
It’s not every day that a townhouse in New York City of this size and grandeur comes on the market and when the price is of historic proportions, we are compelled to write about it.
48-50 West 69th Street on the Upper West Side in Manhattan just steps from Central Park and a few blocks from Lincoln Center, was recently listed for sale for a whopping $85 million making it the most expensive townhouse currently on the market in New York City as per listings available on StreetEasy.
The penthouse wet bar area at 48 West 69th Street/Image via Compass Realty
Originally two separate town houses constructed in 1910, the buildings were completely gutted and demolished save the landmarked exterior façade and combined to become one of the largest single family homes in Manhattan.
Now, the 21 room, 8 level home features five bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, and three powder rooms spread across 19,600 square feet including a lap pool.
The 50 foot lap pool at 48 West 69th Street/Image via Compass Realty
Oh and don’t worry about having to climb up and down all those flights, there’s an elevator for that.
The primary bedroom, at over 2,000 square feet, is over twice the size of the average New York City apartment and roughly the size of the average American home, and features two full bathrooms, two generously sized dressing rooms, a terrace, and even a study.
The homes were originally purchased by Pierre Bastid, a businessman based in Paris and his wife Malou Beauvoir for combined price of $24.5 million over a decade ago between 2011 and 2012 and when they began demolition of the old property and construction of the new home, they reportedly created a nightmare for surrounding neighbors — an issue that was extensively reported on by The New York Times in 2019.
According to The New York Times, back then, one neighbor described the situation as:
“‘Noise’ isn’t strong enough,” he said of the din, by which he must now read exegeses and grade exams. “‘Mindless hell and chaos’ would be better.” I asked him whether any of the great philosophers had something useful to say on what he’s enduring. “Schopenhauer argued that the higher your tolerance for noise, the lower your intelligence,” he replied. So was he getting stupider? “I wouldn’t be surprised,” he said. “I hope to outlive this. I may not.”
Last week we reported that the landmarked Bronx General Post Office was for sale for a cool $75 million and now, another beloved Bronx landmark is up for sale in the South Bronx.
The Old Bronx Courthouse in Melrose at 161st and 3rd Avenue which has been sitting vacant for nearly half a century is on the market for $35 million after a decade of failed developments at the site.
For $35 million, the Old Bronx Courthouse can be yours
Construction for the mammoth 120,000 plus building started in 1905 and was completed by 1914—the same year that The Bronx became an official county of New York State—but with the population explosion that was occurring in the borough during that time, it soon was insufficient space for a borough of 1.25 million residents.
By 1934, today’s Bronx County Courthouse was completed and the majority of services and departments left the Old Bronx Courthouse for the new building on the Grand Concourse just a few blocks away.
The building remained active as a police court until 1977 and since then, for almost 50 years, the building has sat empty.
In 1998, Liberty Square Realty purchased the Old Bronx Courthouse in an auction from the city and has held the property since then with hopes of reviving it for some sort of community use but several deals have fallen through since then with the last being in 2017 when charter school giant, Success Academy, leased the space to convert it into a high school.
This is yet another example of the landmarks of The Bronx as symbols of broken promises sitting vacant when they could be put to good use for the community.
Elected officials have had more than ample opportunities to come up with creative ideas that reflect the community wishes for these spaces to benefit the residents but have neglected to do so.
How many more empty spaces must continue to sit and languish vacantly while the surrounding communities suffers the consequences?
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul came under fire yesterday for saying that, “right now we have young Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word ‘computer’ is”, at the Milken Institute Global Conference in California where the governor was speaking about her new $400 million Empire AI initiative .
But it wasn’t until later yesterday evening after having been slammed by Bronx elected officials that Hochul apologized for the statement.
Assemblymember Amanda Septimo said on X, “Governor Hochul’s remarks regarding young black children in The Bronx were harmful, deeply misinformed, and genuinely appalling.”
NYS Governor Kathy Hochul at Milken Institute Global Conference where she said, “Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word ‘computer’ is”/Image via the Governor’s X account.
Other elected officials echoed those sentiments like Assemblymember Karines Reyes, RN who also said on X, “Deeply disturbed by Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent remarks and the underlying perception that she has of Black & brown children from the BX. Our children are bright, brilliant, extremely capable, and more than deserving of any opportunities that are extended to other kids. Do better.”
In her apology, Hochul stated that, “While discussing my commitment to expanding economic opportunity for communities of color, I misspoke and I regret it,” she said in a statement. “Of course Black children in the Bronx know what computers are — the problem is that they too often lack access to the technology needed to get on track to high-paying jobs in emerging industries like [artificial intelligence].”
There really was no need for Hochul to single out a racial group or The Bronx to emphasize why she is trying to make sure that underserved and digitally divided communities that are primarily of color don’t get left behind by lack of access to technology.
“Our children, far from being underestimated, are the epitome of brilliance, resilience, and untapped potential.” said John Zaccaro, Jr, another state assemblymember from The Bronx in an official statement following Hochul’s comments.
He added, “They are not only capable but deserving of every opportunity that their counterparts are offered. It’s disheartening to witness such a portrayal that undermines their abilities and aspirations.”
If Hochul truly cares about the digital divide and the education of our children then we’d see more funding coming into those communities that desperately need it to address such concerns. While the city and state has seen increased funding in education over the past years, it’s still a far cry from what is truly needed in order to give our children a level playing field.
Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez once said, ‘I was born in a place where your ZIP code determines your destiny,” and unfortunately for our children due to decades of intentional and structural racism, this continues to remain true if the government doesn’t do everything in its power to unlock the potential that is within each of our kids.
The Bronx General Post Office is back on the market with hopes to sell the property for well over $70 million.
Back in 2013, Welcome2TheBronx broke the story that the landmark Bronx General Post Office on the Grand Concourse at 149th Street was being sold off by the United States Postal Service.
By the following year, developer Young Woo & Associates purchased the massive property for $19 million and promised the community to turn the landmark into a destination filled with retail shops, offices, and restaurants, much like the borough’s own Chelsea Market—an idea first proposed by Welcome2TheBronx long before Young Woo’s purchase of the property.
But besides the restaurant on the rooftop, Zona de Cuba, the new space for the post office, and the restoration of the Ben Sha murals in the original lobby nothing ever came to fruition and the 172,000 square foot building has sat mostly vacant since and yet another symbol of broken promises in The Bronx—broken promises that have plagued the borough for our beloved landmarks like the Old Bronx Courthouse, and the Kingsbridge Armory.
Then in 2018, Welcome2TheBronx once again broke the story that Young Woo & Associates had decided to unload the property and by the following year it was in contract to be purchased by MHP and Banyan Street Capital for $70 million but the deal eventually fell through.
Five years later, the area is far different from what it was with thousands of units of luxury housing having been completed along the South Bronx Harlem River waterfront, 425 Grand Concourse at the site of the former PS 31 aka ‘Castle on the Concourse’, Bronx Pointjust three blocks away which will be the future home of the first Hip-Hop museum, and the Bronx Children’s Museum.
Perhaps the current owners hope to capitalize on all this recent activity in the area since its purchase for $19 million ten years ago and get the $70 million+ they’re hoping for.
Whatever the outcome, the space needs to be activated and put to good use for the local community.
With congestion pricing set to start in two months on June 30th this summer, it’s time that the MTA seriously considers reducing fares for Bronx residents who will seek alternatives such as Metro-North commuter rail to enter the congestion zone in Manhattan.
When congestion pricing begins, drivers operating passenger vehicles will be charged $15 if they enter anywhere in the congestion zone below 60th Street in Manhattan, also known as Central Business District or the CBD, during the peak hours of 5AM – 9PM on weekdays, and 9AM to 9PM on weekends.
Meanwhile, trucks and buses will be charged anywhere from $24 to $36 for entering the CBD during those hours.
All off-peak tolls will be discounted by 70%.
Congestion pricing is being enacted to help reduce congestion within Manhattan’s main business core—which is essentially the entire island south of 60th Street—that will spur better travel times within the zone, improve air quality, and hopefully make streets safer in the process.
The Melrose Metro-North station is one of 12 active stations in the borough.
The MTA believes that the tolls will raise $1 billion a year that agency will be used to upgrade our public transportation infrastructure (whether it’s new subway cars, signals, buses, etc) which will in turn, make the system more reliable and desirable to those who rarely use it, thus, reduce cars on our streets even more.
But if the goal is to encourage residents to use public transit instead of their cars when traveling to Midtown, Downtown, or anywhere else within the Central Business District of Manhattan, then the MTA needs to also encourage use of Metro-North by making the fare the same as a $2.90 subway ride for trips originating within any Bronx Metro-North station going to Midtown.
While the MTA just approved a 10% commuter rail discount for The Bronx and Queens, where riders using Metro-North in The Bronx will see the monthly pass drop from $199.75 to $180, it is still significantly higher than a $132 monthly unlimited Metro Card to ride the buses and subways.
Given that the borough has the lowest median and household income of the five boroughs, it’s only right that access to Metro-North is made more equitable so that all can benefit from the service and not just a select few.
The Bronx currently has twelve Metro-North stations scattered throughout the West Bronx and hopefully by 2027, that number will increase to sixteen with four brand new stations in the East Bronx as part of the Penn Station Access which will, for the first time, bring Metro-North service into Penn Station via a new branch of the New Haven line that will operate along Amtrak’s Hell’s Gate Line.
Current Bronx Metro-North Stations of which there are twelve that serve the borough/Via MTA
Located at Co-op City, Morris Park, Parkchester/Van Nest, and Hunts Point, the future stations will provide increased public transportation options in the East Bronx that traditionally has been labeled a transit desert as well as, for the first time, offer one-seat service straight into the West Side of Manhattan into the heart of Midtown.
Bringing Metro-North fares in The Bronx to parity with the bus and subway system will maximize the use of these commuter rail lines and incentivize residents to actually use them to get into Midtown and points south of 60th Street instead of using their cars and paying the congestion pricing tolls.
Four new Metro-North stations will be constructed by 2027 as part of Penn Station Access which will bring the commuter railroad into Penn Station for the first time.
With the projected $1 billion yearly windfall from congestion pricing that the MTA predicts it will rake in, they can clearly use some of that money to reduce the fares even further for current and future Bronx Metro-North users thus fulfilling one of the primary goals of congestion pricing which is reducing traffic.
And in a borough that has the highest rates of asthma and pollution, it’s really a no-brainer.
The Bronx beat Brooklyn in terms of new housing units completed in 2023, according to a new report issued by the New York City Department of City Planning, and it’s the first time to do so since 2011.
New residential units completed in 2023 by borough/Via Department of City Planning
Since 2018, the borough has been adding over 4,000 units of new housing but 2023 saw almost double the average for the prior five years.
27,980 residential units—both market rate and affordable—in new construction buildings were completed across New York City in 2023 with The Bronx accounting for 9,842—35% of the city’s total.
Bankside luxury development in Port Morris while it was still mostly under construction in September 2021. The two-25 story The Arches development with almost 500 luxury units is to the left.
Mott Haven and Port Morris topped the list of neighborhoods with the most completed units in 2023 with 2,326 units followed by the Concourse and Concourse Village area of the borough with 2,118 units of market rate and affordable housing units.
Bankside at 101 Lincoln in Port Morris accounted for 901 units alone—all market rate luxury despite the small percentage set aside for “affordable” housing that were set aside for residents making 130% of the area median income.
While the news of more units to address the housing crisis and affordability shortage is good news, unfortunately we know that many of these units were anything but truly affordable.
The report also indicates that there are a total of 16,721 new construction units in the pipeline that have been permitted yet not completed.
Unfortunately, there’s no indication that many of these will be truly affordable for local residents especially given the fact that 421-a tax benefit expired in 2022 leaving little incentive in place for developers to build affordable housing since it was used to offset the high cost of real estate in New York City.
So while The Bronx may have beat out every other borough in New York City with new construction residential units completed in 2023, who is the real winner?
After serving the residents of the South Bronx for over 30 years, Concourse Plaza Multiplex has announced that it will close its doors for good next month on May 28th.
The closure will leave The Bronx—a borough of 1.4 million residents—with just one movie theater, the AMC Bay Plaza Cinema in Co-op City.
Once upon a time, you could walk or take a short trip within The Bronx to go to the movies. Growing up in the late 70s and 80s, I recall taking trips to Teatro Puerto Rico on 138th Street to watch He-Man with friends when it came out in 1987.
Moviegoing was an easy form of entertainment for kids and families alike.
When we wanted to get fancy, we’d take a drive to the now since demolished, Whitestone Cinemas which was torn down five years ago to make way for a futuristic last-mile warehouse.
Around the same time that the Whitestone closed, so did the American Theater in Parkchester leaving The Bronx with just two movie theaters: Concourse Plaza Multiplex in Melrose and AMC at Bay Plaza.
Now, with the coming closure of Concourse Plaza, a borough with a population of 1.4 million people that would make it the 7th largest city in the country if it were its own city, will only have one theater to serve its entire population.
Getting to Bay Plaza from the South Bronx isn’t an easy commute so residents will just go to Manhattan movie theaters that they can get to in less than 20 minutes versus the long trek to Co-op City.
The announcement made by the theater on social media
If The Bronx is where it’s at and is booming as many politicians would like you to believe, then why, can’t a borough of 1.4 million residents, keep a movie theater? It’s not like we don’t go to the movies.
This is just another insult in a long line of insults to Bronxites being snubbed much like when Barnes and Noble abandoned the borough and left us without a bookstore.
New York City is facing an affordable housing crisis and nowhere is this more apparent than in the northernmost borough of The Bronx.
While the borough traditionally has had and continues to have some of the lowest median rents in the city, it is also a borough beset with economic hardships.
Hardships that contribute to it also having the highest poverty rate in the city and one of the most rent-burdened populations where residents pay well over 30% of their income in rent which exceeds the recommended guidelines for one to be able to have enough to cover other expenses and be able to also save for the future.
Estela, a two-building development with over 500 residential units in Mott Haven is anything but affordable.
Thousands of apartments have been constructed in the South Bronx neighborhoods of Port Morris and Mott Haven along the Harlem River Waterfront but unfortunately these are market rate, luxury housing—housing which residents in The Bronx aren’t clamoring for or in need of.
The construction boom that the South Bronx has experienced in this area isn’t one that is benefiting local residents who need it the most hence why many units remain vacant even years after completion of such luxury developments.
In order to solve this housing crisis that we find ourselves in, the city needs to speed up construction of truly affordable housing in the borough and this can be accomplished in several ways.
Utilizing Wasted Space
One of the first ideas that come to mind, and this isn’t a new one and has been floated by many over the past years, is for the city to take over all the underutilized parking lots between 149th Street and Yankee Stadium along River Avenue.
These lots can be rezoned to accommodate thousands of units of truly affordable housing which can benefit from being near a busy transportation hub like the 2, 4, and 5 subway line at 149th Street and Grand Concourse as well as the 153rd Street Yankee Stadium Metro North Station.
In a dense urban area such as the South Bronx, such parking lots are a waste of space that can be better utilized to help alleviate the housing crisis faced by the borough.
Meanwhile, a few blocks over along 149th Street at Park Avenue, a more creative solution to the crisis is possible if the State really wants to do something about it besides lip service.
Creating New Land
The Metro North railyards at 149th Street, where all three lines of the service East of the Hudson River converge, present an excellent opportunity to create a platform over them much like Hudson Yards in Manhattan.
Such a platform could also support thousands of new units of housing along with new, open, green recreational spaces that would benefit all.
Adding a platform above the Metro North rail yards along 149th Street and Park Avenue can potentially create thousands of new units of housing as well as much needed green open spaces.
A new, Metro North Station at this location, connected directly to the 149th Street and Grand Concourse station, would also make sense since this is where the Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven lines all meet.
The same can be done over the massive subway yard in the North Bronx right next to Lehman College.
And while we’re talking about creating new land, this is where capping the Cross Bronx can also come into play.
If parts of the Cross Bronx are eventually capped where it makes sense to do so, some of the new land should be utilized to create permanently affordable housing along with new park land that will help restitch those neighborhoods that were destroyed by Robert Moses during the construction of what would become one of America’s most congested highways and a major contributor to the borough’s health issues.
Doing so will right a wrong that left lasting consequences felt in the borough for over half a century.
Rezoning Along the Planned 4 New Metro North Stations
Of all the scenarios discussed so far, the only one that has the possibility of actually happening is the planned rezoning along the four new Metro North Stations that are to be constructed in the East Bronx as part of the Penn Station Access Project that will, for the first time ever, connect Metro North commuters along the New Haven Line straight into Penn Station.
What the area around the future Morris Park Metro North Station looks like and what it could be
The planned stations will be located in the Co-op City, Morris Park, Parkchester/Van Nest, and Hunts Point neighborhoods of the borough—areas that are considered transit deserts with limited access to rapid public transportation options and mainly have to rely on buses.
The city is taking advantage of this transformational project by recommending rezonings around the surrounding location of the future stations with a strong focus on the Morris Park and Parkchester/Van Nest sites.
East Tremont along the proposed Parkchester/Van Nest Station can benefit with new housing as well under the proposed rezoning plan.
If passed, it has the potential of creating of 7,500 new units of housing—housing which is desperately needed in the borough—that is centrally located around a transportation node.
Morris Park is the medical and life sciences heart of The Bronx and one of the largest such hubs in the city with, according to New York City Planning, over 23,000 jobs within half a mile of the future Metro North Station.
The immediate area surrounding the planned station, as well as spots along the East Tremont corridor near the planned Parkchester/Van Nest station, has many underutilized lots that can be better maximized to serve a larger population if rezoned.
But with this and any of the other possible pathways towards alleviating the housing crisis in The Bronx, all of them must have a commitment to not just “affordable” housing in name but truly affordable housing that local residents can qualify for.
Oftentimes, affordable housing is created but isn’t truly affordable to those in most need. One only needs to look at the current offerings on New York City’s Housing Connect in The Bronx to see that almost every single development on the site currently are market-rate luxury apartments disguised as affordable.
Also, affordable homeownership opportunities MUST be a part of all of these as we cannot simply rely on rentals to escape this crisis.
The rezoning around the future Metro North stations at Morris Park and Parkchester/Van Nest must also include options for affordable homeownership whether it be through co-op or condo ownership.
Offering rentals only is simply unacceptable and just continues to perpetuate the cycle of reliance on landlords for housing and all the issues that comes along with it including uncertain futures due to rent increases and the likes.
We have options to alleviate the housing crisis, we just need leaders and elected officials who have the will to think big and do the right thing.
As millions of Americans across the country engage in Earth Day activities and celebrations to raise awareness on environmental issues such as pollution, environmental justice, and even more so as of late, climate change, The Bronx, unfortunately, takes center stage with being the borough that is plagued with many of these issued more disproportionately than any of the other five boroughs that make up New York City.
Just a few weeks ago, the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice released the first ever comprehensive study on environmental inequality across the city.
And it was no surprise, at least to many Bronxites—especially those who work within environmental justice in the borough—that The Bronx topped the list in several categories.
Some of the findings in the report indicated that:
Low-income Bronx residents report the highest rates of transit hardship across the five boroughs
Residents in the Bronx experience both the highest rates of food insecurity and the highest rates of diet-related diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure
Exposure to polluted water was highest in New York City neighborhoods such as the Southeast Bronx due to stormwater flooding
The Bronx also had several areas with high heat vulnerability that has been exacerbated with rising temps due to climate change.
These are just some of the issues that, unfortunately contribute to the borough continuing to top the charts in such reports.
Concrete Plant Park, a former concrete manufacturing plant along the Bronx River is one of the many success stories of reclaiming once polluted industrial lands along the river and converting them into open, recreational spaces for Bronxites
It’s also the reason why it’s so important to support the many grassroots organizations within our borough, orgs that have been founded from the very people living through these conditions who sought to make the borough a better place for all and leave it just a little better than they found it, so that they can continue to elevate these issues to the forefront lest they be forgotten and neglected by our government.
Organizations like The Bronx River Alliance, which this year is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of The Bronx River Restoration Group, that has turned the river into a literal sewer and dumping ground into one of the most successful environmental stories in the city.
Since the group’s inception, over 20 acres of new parkland have been added to the borough along the Bronx River as well as the rehabilitation of New York City’s only fresh-water river that has seen the return of wildlife such as the first beavers in the city in over 200 years, fish, oysters at the mouth of the river, and yes, even dolphins who came to visit last year and frolic in its waters.
None of this could have been done without the people power of the borough.
Other organizations in the borough that have worked tirelessly to right the wrongs of environmental injustices are groups like South Bronx Unite, which was founded over a decade ago when area residents united against a sweetheart deal given to FreshDirect to move its truck-intensive operations to the South Bronx waterfront.
The move eventually added thousands of extra trucks to an area that was already suffering from some of the highest rates of pollutions in the city and some of the highest rates of asthma not just in the city but in the country.
Despite FreshDirect succeeding in moving to the South Bronx, this did not stop South Bronx Unite from continuing the fight for environmental justice in the area and since then, has continued to work for a better South Bronx for all.
Speaking of air pollution, we can’t talk about the subject of environmental justice without talking about The Cross Bronx Expressway which like an ugly scar, tore the borough in half and, along with its creation, displaced roughly 40,000 residents and destroyed neighborhoods along the way.
Imagine a Cross Bronx Expressway that’s mostly covered and being able to walk across a park to the other side of the neighborhoods that it cut decades ago in the name of “progress”.
For the past several years, Nilka Martell, founder of Loving The Bronx, has advocated for “capping The Cross Bronx” which would, in areas where possible, plate over one of the busiest highways in the nation and creating new green spaces above to help restitch the neighborhoods that were bisected with its creation.
Air pollution along the infamous thoroughfare is among the worst in the city contributing to some of the worst asthma rates in nation.
What all these groups have in common is the indomitable spirit of the people of The Bronx who, facing inequities and more obstacles than the average New York City neighborhood, won’t take no for an answer and utilize their collective power to bring about positive change in the borough.
It’s the same spirit that rebuilt the borough when the the city abandoned it in the 70s and 80s.
Although we celebrate Earth Day once a year just remember that for many in The Bronx it’s not just a day of action but a literal way of life that seeps into what they do 365 days of the year to leave our beloved home better than what we inherited.
So next time you enjoy a nice walk along The Bronx River, remember that you can do so because of ordinary people just like you and me, did extraordinary things decades ago so that you can do so.
A decades-long dream to connect The Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn directly by a subway or rail was derailed last year when Governor Kathy Hochul dissed The Bronx by mandating that the Metropolitan Transit Authority begin an environmental review for the Interborough Express but only to connect Queens and Brooklyn.
Proposed stops on the Interborough Express with only Brooklyn and Queens being considered/Via Governor’s Office
As originally proposed decades ago, the then Triboro Rx line would’ve spanned 24 miles stretching from Co-op City in The Bronx down to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn without having to go through Manhattan and thus connecting millions of residents.
Now, the New York State Assembly appears ready to right this wrong with yesterday’s release of their recommended changes to Executive Budget for 2024-25.
Rendering of a station along the Interborough Express/Via MTA
According to the Assembly Budget Proposal SFY 2024-25 for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Assembly modifies, “…the Executive appropriation of $68 million for feasibility studies for the Second Avenues Subway — Western Expansion and for the Interborough Express (IBX) project, by including a requirement that the MTA also study the feasibility of connecting the IBX to the Bronx.”
Excerpt from the recommended changes by the NYS Assembly to the Executive Budget/Via NYS Assembly
When the announcement was made last year that The Bronx was to be left out of the study, many bemoaned the typical lack of foresight and willingness not to think big by the state when it comes to such potentially transformative projects that almost always do not include the borough.
While we are getting four new Metro North Stations in the East Bronx that will connect residents straight into Penn Station as well as points north into Westchester and Connecticut, the borough has been clamoring for easier access into Queens and Brooklyn for decades.
Manhattan may be the traditional core of New York City but more than 50% of jobs created in the city since 2014 have been in The Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn—which happen to be home to over 6 million residents that accounts for roughly 75% of New York City’s population—all of who do not have a direct connection other than buses and cars.
The original 24-mile, Triboro Rx line as proposed by the Regional Plan Association/Via RPA
A true Interborough Express connecting the three boroughs would connect dozens of subway lines and several rail lines as well that would provide a seamless connection for millions.
And yes, let’s face it, it would be far more transformative of a transit project that would have a far greater impact on the majority of residents than the Second Avenue Line which is exponentially more expensive due to the fact that the tunnels have to be dug which, when the second phase is completed, would have a price tag of well over $10 billion for just a handful of new stations.
The Interborough Express, with dozens of stations, has been estimated to cost a fraction of that due to its proposed construction along existing rail lines.
If this budget is approved as is, it is imperative that our elected officials fight to make sure it gets done because it isn’t about can it be done but do our elected officials have the political will to spend the necessary monies from our tax dollars that will actually benefit us.
