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The South Bronx’s First Luxury High Rises Reach New Heights

Ed García Conde
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The South Bronx’s First Luxury High Rises Reach New Heights

Rising like twin beacons of gentrification, the South Bronx’s first luxury high rises have topped out reaching their maximum floor heights of 25 stories each.

Known as The Arches, which is being developed by Cheskel Schwimmer, the luxury towers are now the tallest buildings in the area, surpassing even nearby NYCHA development Mitchel Houses which has dominated Mott Haven’s skyline for over half a century.

The Arches rising above 135th Street and the Major Deegan.

But that dominance has come to an end with these two new luxury towers that once complete will have 465 residential market-rate apartments across both towers.

And this is just the beginning.

A Tale of Two Cities

The entire South Bronx waterfront along the Harlem River stretching from the 145th Street Bridge down to the Third Avenue Bridge will be completely unrecognizable to locals within 5 years as developers snatch up lots and begin to submit plans for construction.

The Arches as seen from 138th Street and Rider Avenue

Over 4,000 units of housing are in the pipeline in various stages of development.

And it’s all happening on the proverbial “other side of the highway” in this case, the Major Deegan Expressway.

On one side of the highway you have some of the largest collections of NYCHA developments in the city in the nation’s poorest urban congressional district and on the other side of the Deegan you have a boom of construction of luxury housing that will be PHYSICALLY segregated from the rest of the community.

Starting directly north of the 145th Street Bridge, Bronx Point is scheduled to break ground this winter in what was stolen parkland that was designated as part of the Mill Pond Park Expansion.

Rendering of Bronx Point, future home of the Universal Hip Hop Museum and 1,045 units of housing

Once completed, the development will not only have 1,045 residential units on the waterfront (of which half will be permanently affordable) but it will also be home to the Universal Hip Hop Museum.

Directly south of the 145th Street Bridge, The Lightstone Group has snatched two parcels in deals worth over almost $90 million with plans to bring 2,000 units of waterfront residential units with 600 (or 30%) of said units as “affordable”.

No renderings have been released as of yet for this development nor have any plans been filed.

Lightstone Group snatched two parcels along the Harlem River Waterfront just south of the 145th Street Bridge.

Past The Arches, immediately to its south, you have Brookfield’s 1,300 units of mostly market-rate luxury housing (with 30% set aside for “affordable housing” as well.

This particular development will be spread across two lots on either side of the 3rd Avenue Bridge and will also bring with it 20,000 square feet of retail and construct a promenade and a park along 850 feet of the waterfront.

And these are just a handful of parcels that are being developed. There are a number of parcels still up for grabs, although not officially on the market, that can be developed.

Brookfield’s $165 million purchase of two lots from Somerset Partners and the Chetrit Group will be developed into 1,300 units of luxury housing with 30% of units set aside as “affordable”.

The South Bronx, as we know it, is changing and it’s changing faster by each passing day.

BREAKING NEWS: Judge Rules NYC DOT Morris Park Road Diet Can Proceed

Ed García Conde
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BREAKING NEWS: Judge Rules NYC DOT Morris Park Road Diet Can Proceed

In a blow to local residents and businesses who fought against the New York City Department of Transportation’s proposed “road diet” for Morris Park Avenue, a judge has declared that indeed the city may proceed as planned.

Bronx judge Lucindo Suarez stated, according to StreetsBlog who first broke the story, that the road design is a proper “… “administrative act taken within the purview of [the city’s] jurisdiction and scope of their statutory authority under the New York City Charter, supported by a rational basis rooted in the public health and safety. Therefore, Petitioners’ requests for a preliminary injunction, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs are denied.”

Illustration by NYC DOT showing total number injuries and fatalities along the dangerous roadway.

Earlier this year Council Member Mark Gjonaj, who’s vehemently opposed to the road diet, said:

“In a perfect world we’d have adequate parking spaces driving lanes, bus lanes, bike lanes, sidewalks, handicapped parking — but this is not a perfect world,” he said.

“Parking and delivery of commercial vehicles is as integral to this city as the MTA. And the problem that we have … just finding space to make a delivery. And I’ll use a perfect example: Vision Zero. It’s taking two lanes, road diet, making into one lane and a bike lane, with only a small place for commercial trucks to park. … It’s impossible to meet the demands of those commercial properties! Impossible for those suppliers to get to those merchants.

Morris Park Avenue will now be reduced to one lane in each direction (from two) and bike lanes will be added in either direction as well.

But what will happen is those trucks will have to double park, forcing vehicles to either come to a dead halt and create congestion or they have to use side streets or they have to risk a head on collision to drive over the markings.

I have to stick up for our business owners. Those delivery trucks are hard working New Yorkers meeting the needs and demands of our small businesses.”

The road diet will also add needed bike lanes to Morris Park Avenue as well for increased safety for cyclists.

Ten years ago, Allerton Avenue saw a similar redesign and according to DOT data, pedestrian injuries have dropped by 50%.

To us, this is simply common sense.

This is a victory in the name of safety as now Morris Park will go from being a two lane road in each direction reduced to one lane in both directions helping reduce dangerous speeding along the wide street.

DOT Bronx Borough Commissioner Nivardo Lopez said it best on StreetsBlog earlier this year:

The challenge for transportation planners, Lopez added, is that so-called road diets are counterintuitive if your opinion of how roads should work is formed from behind the wheel of a car.

“They see four travel lanes becoming two and they think it will make traffic worse,” Lopez said. “For most people, that’s their concern because, fortunately, most people are not hit by a vehicle or are involved in a crash. Safety is out of sight, out of mind for them. To them being stuck in traffic is more relatable.”

The Bronx: New York City’s First Borough

Ed García Conde
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The Bronx: New York City’s First Borough

It’s a little-known fact that our beautiful borough of The Bronx was, in fact, the first borough of New York City although it wasn’t called a borough until later.

In 1874, the lands west of the Bronx River were annexed to New York County aka New York City and was known as the Annexed District.

A map of The Bronx, long before it became known as such.

Before this moment, these lands were part of Westchester County and included the towns of Morrisania, Kingsbridge, and West Farms. Within these towns were the villages of Mott Haven, Port Morris, Melrose, Fordham, and many others.

Then in 1895, a full three years before Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island were consolidated to create New York City as we know it today, the lands to the east of the Bronx River were annexed creating what was known as The Great North Side.

The town of Westchester had voted against being annexed but was dragged along to create The Bronx as an know it today, along with parts of the towns of Eastchester and Pelham.

When the great consolidation came along and the rest of what are the five boroughs of New York City joined to create the city which we know today, The Great North Side was renamed The Bronx after the river which runs through it named after the first European settler, Jonas Bronck.

But still The Bronx, which was known as the annexed district, was tied to Manhattan and was part of New York County until it became the 62nd county of New York State and the 5th and official county of New York City in 1914 in Melrose at the Old Bronx Borough Courthouse.

Many firsts came from our Bronx as well as many great historical figures from all walks of life and professions but this one comes with major bragging rights: The Bronx—NYC’s FIRST borough.

WATCH: ‘The Bronx, USA’ Documentary is Coming to HBO

Ed García Conde
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WATCH: ‘The Bronx, USA’ Documentary is Coming to HBO

‘The Bronx, USA‘ is an HBO documentary on our beloved borough that follows Bronx-born and raised producer George Shapiro as he comes back home and reconnects with The Bronx.

This little trailer that HBO just released seems to be pretty interesting and a bit heart-warming look at our amazing borough which we love.

The Bronx is a complex place with a lot of heart that has produced some of the biggest names in the country and the world exporting leaders from entertainment and the arts, to the highest levels of government and even the sciences.

Shapiro and his “Bronx Boys” chat with students at DeWitt Clinton/Image still from HBO’s ‘The Bronx, USA’

HBO describes, ‘The Bronx, USA’ as:

A love letter to a special part of New York City and its distinctive residents, the documentary also introduces the next generation of Bronxites – the 2017 graduating class of DeWitt Clinton High School, who may come from different backgrounds from Shapiro’s class of 1949, but whose passion, drive and emphasis on the power of friendship connects them with the seniors who came nearly seventy years before them.

The birthplace of doo-wop and salsa, the Bronx birthed hip hop in the 80s and with it, a whole new culture. Home to the world-famous Yankee Stadium and the Bronx Zoo, New York’s northernmost borough has long been both culturally diverse and racially tolerant. Revisiting his old stomping grounds with longtime friend Carl Golub and Jay Schwartz, Shapiro remembers the fun they had as kids. Back then, families lived in the same building, leaving their doors unlocked and everyone knew each other’s business. Mom-and-pop stores lined the streets and it was never hard to find a kid to play with. Years later, Shapiro and his childhood friends, who’ve dubbed themselves the “Bronx Boys,” get together every five years to reminisce and celebrate their long-lasting bond.

We’re looking forward to watching this documentary in its entirety when it premiers on HBO on October 30th at 9:00PM EST!

Watch the trailer below!

Now That Cars are Banned on Manhattan’s 14th Street, Will Fordham Road in The Bronx Be Next?

Ed García Conde
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Now That Cars are Banned on Manhattan’s 14th Street, Will Fordham Road in The Bronx Be Next?

It’s been almost two weeks since the 14th Street car ban went into effect and despite the fear mongering that it would be a disaster, it is being hailed as a success without the resulting traffic nightmares along the side streets that naysayers predicted would happen.

If it worked in Manhattan, one of the most congested places in our city, can it work right here in The Bronx?

At this point it isn’t even a question of will a similar car ban work in The Bronx but more is there the political will to extend it beyond the confines of Manhattan and into communities that need it even more due to heavy reliance on public bus transportation.

Imagine a car-free Fordham Road where only buses are allowed along with vehicles making local deliveries and taxis picking up and dropping off passengers? It would revolutionize cross-borough travel within The Bronx.

Thomas DeVito, senior director of advocacy at Transportation Alternatives, recently wrote an op-ed piece published in The New York Daily News calling for just that: To such car bans across the 5 boroughs.

According to DeVito:

If we’re smart, we’ll learn from the experience, and see this as just the beginning of a much bigger revolution on streets throughout the five boroughs. Most of New York City’s 2.4 million daily bus riders live in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island.

It’s in those boroughs and those neighborhoods where commutes are the longest and bus-priority streets are needed the most.

With nearly 50,000 daily riders, the Bx12 route along Fordham Road in the Bronx is New York City’s most heavily used bus corridor.

A bus struggles to get through traffic across Fordham Road, an all too common scene.

The New York Times wrote that already improvements to bus service along the 14th Street corridor are quite drastic as the bus lines along this route had some of the worst performance times in the city but now are considerably faster.

A trip that would take about 30 minutes now takes 21 minutes and is so fast that bus drivers are reportedly now having to slow down just to stay on schedule.

Over at The New York Times, they report:

So how has this all played out? As a phenomenal success.

Initial data indicate that the buses, previously some of the slowest in the city but now, free of so much competition, have become much faster. An M14 bus trip that typically took 30 minutes now is taking about 21 minutes. One morning this week, a bus was so ahead of schedule that it had to stop at an intersection and pass the time so it wouldn’t get too ahead of itself.

The greatest disincentive to getting on a bus in New York is the prospect of waiting so long for it, followed then by the reality, once you are on the bus, that you could have gone to Connecticut in the time it will take to get from the far reaches of the East Side to Lincoln Center. The more reliable buses are, the more popular they should become.

Can you imagine the impact that would have along Fordham Road and how it would easily move tens of thousands of Bronxites a day across our borough?

I mean it’s the best we can do until our dream of a CrossX lightrail across The Bronx becomes a reality which isn’t even on the radar beyond our readership.

What do you think about this proposal?

Bronx Teenager is New York’s First Vaping Fatality & Youngest in Nation

Ed García Conde
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Bronx Teenager is New York’s First Vaping Fatality & Youngest in Nation

A 17-year-old young man who died last Friday is the first vaping fatality in New York State and the youngest in the nation according to an article in The New York Times.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the unidentified young man is the 23rd vaping related fatality since the first one was reported in Illinois on August 23rd this past summer.

The mystery surrounding this illness, which so far has sickened 1,110 nationwide, still remains shrouded as there have been no one substance or specific product linking all these cases except various types of marijuana cartridges.

Reported symptoms are flu and pneumonia-like in nature and The New York Times reports that 110 cases have been reported in the state thus far.

Stay safe, folks and skip the vape for now until this clears up.

Most Expensive Apartment in The Bronx is for Sale for $4.6 Million

Ed García Conde
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Most Expensive Apartment in The Bronx is for Sale for $4.6 Million

Yup, you read that right: $4,675,000 is the price tag for the most expensive apartment currently on the market in The Bronx.

And of course, it’s in Riverdale.

Formal dining room/Image via StreetEasy Listing

Located at the 640 West 237th Street, #20A, the penthouse unit has spectacular views of The Bronx, the Hudson River, the Palisades, and lush Van Cortlandt Park, the third largest park in New York City, and even the Manhattan skyline.

With 3,057 square feet of space this is basically a big old house in the sky with 5 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms not to mention two balconies and a nicely sized private rooftop terrace.

Private rooftop terrace: WANT/NEED / Image via StreetEasy Listing

Although it’s currently on the market for 6 days, the sponsor has been trying to unload this apartment since the building hit the market over 10 years ago.

As recently as last year, it was being sold together with unit 20B for a whopping $8,950,000 with a combined square footage 5,952 square feet and a massive 2,949 square foot terrace.

It’s all about the views/Image via StreetEasy listing

We’ll see how long it will stay on the market but something tells us that if they haven’t been able to unload this apartment in over a decade, they will continue to struggle to do so for that price.

Via StreetEasy Listing

The Solaria, where the unit is located, has a troubled past when they were unable to sell most of the units to the point that over 50 of the unsold units in the 65 unit building were auctioned off in 2009.

Bring it down a few million and maybe we’ll talk.

Maybe.

Bronx Logs Most Heat and Hot Water Complaints of Any Borough

Christine Chung, Ann Choi, and Ese Olumhense, THE CITY
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Bronx Logs Most Heat and Hot Water Complaints of Any Borough
Meanwhile, this building on Elmhurst Avenue in Queens had more complaints than any other in the city. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
This story was originally published on October 4, 2019 by THE CITY.

As temperatures begin to drop, residents of 1425 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in The Bronx say they’re not looking forward to winter.

They’re dreading the specter of cold showers and heat that shuts off on the most frigid days.

Peter Henry, a 57-year-old tenant of the Highbridge building, has to call 311 “all the time,” he told THE CITY.

He’s not alone: From September of 2018 to this past August, more than 221,000 heat and hot water complaints at roughly 32,000 non-public housing addresses were reported to 311.

And more than a third of the calls came from The Bronx, according to a new report by Localize.city, a home-search website that crunches housing data.

Further analysis by THE CITY showed that The Bronx logged the most frequent gripes about heat and hot water — a rate of 14.04 complaints per 100 households from October 2018 to May 2019, the months covering what’s known as the “heat season.”

Meanwhile, buildings in the borough also recorded the highest rate of actual heat and water-related violations during the same period, according to data from the Department of Housing and Preservation Development.

“Owners must provide adequate heat and hot water as is required by law during heat season,” said HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll said in an announcement earlier this week. “HPD will do everything within its power to hold owners accountable and ensure renters live in safe and habitable homes year-round.”

HPD investigates 311 complaints related to housing issues, which can be lodged by phone, online or through an app.

According to the Localize analysis, the more a household pays in rent, the less likely the chance of heat-related issues: One in five listings for studios ranging from $2,400 to $4,000 are located in a building with reported heating complaints. In the $1,400 and $1,600 price range, half of those studios are in buildings at risk of heat and hot water issues.

‘It’s Going to be Tough’

Henry’s building, his home for seven years, ranked in the top 10 in the city for heat and hot water-related complaints to 311, according to the new analysis.

He and his wife have found it difficult to report problems to their landlord, Chestnut Holdings, he said, and issues typically take a while to fix. The pair say they’ve been without cooking gas for three months.

“It’s going to be tough this year because we have a 3-month-old grandson,” Henry, who works for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said as he stood in the kitchen of his first-floor apartment.

A representative for Chestnut Holdings couldn’t be reached for comment.

Nir Gonen, a data scientist with Localize, noted heat and hot water outages mark the “single-most frequent” housing complaint made to 311.

“Not having heat or hot water is not only a hardship, but also illegal,” Gonen said. “We’re seeing this all across the city.”

Brooklyn came in second in heat and hot water complaints over the past year — 67,554 — with Crown Heights counting the most addresses with issues, according to the Localize analysis.

Sualin Suazo said her Elmhurst building was often without heat during the coldest days of winter.

Sualin Suazo said her Elmhurst building was often without heat during the coldest days of winter. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

Although Queens accounted for 13% of the city’s of 311 complaints, a six-story apartment building in Elmhurst with more than 200 units, reported the greatest number of heating issues citywide.

Nearly 3,200 heat-related complaints came from residents at 89-21 Elmhurst Ave. — more than the total number of heat and hot water 311 complaints from all of Staten Island, according to Localize.

Several residents of the Elmhurst building said winter brings heat and water problems.

“On the coldest day, they won’t have heat. When it’s not cold, they’ll have it,” said Sualin Suazo, 29, adding she’s lived in the building nearly all of her life. “You come home from work and you’re like, ‘OK, no hot water.’ They won’t tell you in advance.”

Oscar Zargoza, the superintendent, said that while he couldn’t confirm that the building has heat and hot water every day, he dismissed the bulk of complaints as disingenuous.

“Most of the complaints are from one person,” Zargoza said. “They have heat, they have everything.”

There are not currently any open heat-related complaints at 89-21 Elmhurst Ave. The building’s owners didn’t return calls seeking comment.

Have you had repeated problems getting your heat and hot water working? We’d like to hear from you. Email tips@thecity.nyc or call, text, Signal, WhatsApp: 718-866-8674.

This story was originally published by THE CITY, an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to hard-hitting reporting that serves the people of New York.

NYC’s Newest Monument is a Tribute to Puerto Rican Humanitarian and Baseball Legend Roberto Clemente in The Bronx

Ed García Conde
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NYC’s Newest Monument is a Tribute to Puerto Rican Humanitarian and Baseball Legend Roberto Clemente in The Bronx

Late Sunday night, the long-awaited monument to the late Puerto Rican humanitarian and baseball player, Roberto Clemente, was installed at Roberto Clemente Plaza at The Hub in the South Bronx.

The monument, called Para Roberto, was designed by Bronx born and raised artist Melissa Calderón who said that it was, “…dedicated to Clemente’s ‘would have
been’ future and honors his remarkable life, his humanitarian legacy, his perseverance, and his dedication to working with kids to help realize their own dreams.”

The entire sculpture is cast in bronze with twelve sugar cane stalks (representing Clemente’s 12 Golden Glove wins) surround a chair made of baseball bats, baseballs, and stickballs with the Puerto Rican flag as the back of the chair.

Not only is Para Roberto New York City’s newest permanent monument but it is also the newest in The Bronx in decades and is also one of the first if not the first designed by a Latina.

Calderón further writes in her statement:

The sculpture features an empty ‘Abuelo’ chair- the type a grandfather might use in Puerto Rico, reminiscing and telling stories filled with history and wisdom which represents Clemente in his retirement, had he lived. I’m grateful for the City’s support of this commission and thrilled to see it installed in the heart of the South Bronx where it can become a part of the neighborhood fabric and inspire future generations with Clemente’s example.”

The sculpture is cast bronze with vibrant colors give the work a surreal feeling of being in Puerto Rico. An oversized chair made from bronzed stickball and baseball bats and balls sitting underneath a 12.5 foot tall canopy of sugarcane. The chair represents Roberto in his retirement, built upon his history, perseverance, and humanitarian spirit. 12 sugar cane stalks surround the chair. Quiet sententals, the sugarcane represent the hardships Roberto and his family faced working in the sugarcane fields, a reality shared throughout the colonial history of the Caribbean. But in this work, the sugarcane act as not only a numerical tribute to Clemente’s golden glove wins (12), but also provides shade and respite for the patron sitting in his chair, reminding the viewer that our history makes us who we are and gives us the foundation to move forward and achieve success.

What makes this monument important for not just the people of The Bronx but for New York City is that it is dedicated to a person of color from a community that has been often underrepresented when it comes to monuments, statues and artistic tributes across the city.

And its impact on the community was immediately apparent once it was fully unveiled this past Wednesday as local community residents began to interact with the monument by sitting in the chair and posing for photographs (by the way, you can follow the monument on Instagram at: @ParaRobertoBx).

We are so excited to have this monument in The Bronx and it couldn’t have come at a better moment in our borough’s history especially as gentrification is taking a foothold in the South Bronx. It is important to send out the message that our communities will not be erased.

This past Sunday, workers from the city came out to install the monument overnight.

Para Roberto was commissioned by The City of New York Department of Design and Construction, Percent for Art, Department of Cultural Affairs, and Department of Transportation and is on permanent display at Roberto Clemente Plaza located at Third Avenue between 148th and 149th Streets.

WATCH: Undocumented Immigrants Run One of City’s Best Oaxacan Restaurants in The Bronx—and NYC

Ed García Conde
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WATCH: Undocumented Immigrants Run One of City’s Best Oaxacan Restaurants in The Bronx—and NYC

Although we don’t get to La Morada in Mott Haven as often as we’d like to, it’s still one of our favorite Mexican restaurants not just in The Bronx but in New York City.

But this isn’t your typical restaurant; It’s also a gathering place for the community, local activists, and is a safe haven for undocumented immigrants.

Because of their status, many opportunities weren’t available to them so they ended up opening up an authentic, indigenous Oaxacan Mexican restaurant known as La Morada.

According to the family, The Bronx was really the only place where they felt welcome and was available to them to be able to start their business.

Watch their beautiful story below via WABC TV.

La Morada is located at 308 Willis Avenue, Bronx, NY 10455

WATCH: America’s Oldest Public Golf Course is Right Here in The Bronx

Ed García Conde
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WATCH: America’s Oldest Public Golf Course is Right Here in The Bronx

Operating since 1895, Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course is the nation’s oldest public course.

Running for 124 years in New York City’s third-largest park, the course is also the birthplace of the phrase “tee time”.

Civilization stopped in its track by nature at Van Cortlandt Park

This wonderful video by CBS Sports traces the history of the renowned golf course from the beginning to the present time where Van Cortlandt Golf Course is undergoing a multi-million dollar restoration to its former glory.

Watch this amazing video below and let us know what you think!

WATCH: Woman Climbs Into Lion’s Exhibit at Bronx Zoo…AND LIVES

Ed García Conde
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WATCH: Woman Climbs Into Lion’s Exhibit at Bronx Zoo…AND LIVES

This past weekend, a woman thought it would be a good idea to climb into the lion exhibit at The Bronx Zoo and taunt the king of the jungle.

We still don’t have answers as to why she jumped in in the first place as The Bronx Zoo hasn’t responded to questions from the media but she miraculously survived.

Still shot from the video posted on Instagram of the encounter this past weekend.

We’ve seen people do crazy things but this is one that kind of takes the cake but at least she wasn’t hurt and the poor lion didn’t end up like Harambe (may he rest in peace).

Check out the video below and let us know what you think!

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