According to filings at the Department of Buildings and an article in The Real Deal, plans have been filed to construct two 8-story residential buildings where Yolanda’s Italian restaurant has stood for 59 years.
As per the plans, the buildings will be 8 stories tall with 123 residential units and ground floor retail space.
The buildings haven’t been sold, at least as per NYC records and are still owned by the owners of Yolanda’s restaurant.
Yesterday we reached out to the owners of Yolanda but no one was available for comment nor would anyone confirm or deny what the future was for the long-standing restaurant.
Yolanda is the last remaining fixture of what was once the heart of The Bronx’s Italian community.
During the first half of the 20th century, thousands of Italian immigrants ended up in Melrose, most of which came from Ponza, a small island off the coast of Italy.
Eventually they established Our Lady of Pity Church on E 150th St which had been closed now for several years and is soon to be demolished.
No further details as to timing as no plans for demolition have been filed.
There are also no details as to whether they will be market rate or affordable units.
We will keep you posted as details emerge.
Yolanda’s Restaurant in the South Bronx to be Replaced by Two 8-Story Residential Buildings
A Christmas Miracle! The Bronx Christmas House is Lit Once Again!
With less than a week left until Christmas, the Garabedian home at 1605 Pelham Parkway, aka the Bronx Christmas House, is once again lit in its guady splendor!
Last week we reported that the home, which was usually lit by Thanksgiving, was notably dark well past its typical start date much to the sadness of many Bronxites (although there were some grinches in The Bronx who live near it that professed they were glad it wasn’t on yet).
Today we were tipped off by Bronx resident Debby Deb that the house was finally lit up.
Debby lives in the area and works up the block from the Garabedian home so she’s seen it daily and said that this past Tuesday only the chipmunks were up but last night everything was finally on.
Enjoy the pics, compliments of Debby!
Oh and don’t forget to check out CNN’s coverage of the house. Yes, CNN covered it too! – Lights, camera, fashion: It’s Christmas time at the Garabedian House.
All images copyright @Debby Deb All images copyright @Debby Deb All images copyright @Debby Deb All images copyright @Debby Deb All images copyright @Debby Deb All images copyright @Debby Deb All images copyright @Debby Deb All images copyright @Debby Deb All images copyright @Debby Deb All images copyright @Debby Deb
WATCH: Never Mess With a Bronx Woman; Local Takes Down Would-Be Car Thief
“Welcome to the f****** Bronx!”
That’s what one Bronx woman shouted as she recorded a 49 year old woman taking justice into her own hands.
According to the accounts, a woman left her car running as it warmed up before taking her kids to school and when she came back she saw a man inside trying to steal her car across the street from Via Verde in Melrose.
Dude tries to steal her car this morning. She pulled him out the truck and proceeded to beat his ass. Here’s what happened next. #welcometothebronx #thisaintSOBROitstheSOUTHBRONX pic.twitter.com/e8RBf0oK14
— ᵟᵁᴱᴱᴺ ˢᵁᴳᴬᴿ (@KMackBrand) December 18, 2018
She dragged the man out of the car and threw him on the ground where she subdued him until the cops came.
At one point she even sat on him to hold him down.
Don’t ever mess with our Bronx women!
Watch full coverage below:
Bronx Legend, Penny Marshall, Dead at 75
One of The Bronx’s most iconic actresses and film directors, Penny Marshall, has died at the age of 75.
A Bronx ‘girl’ through and through, Marshall never lost her thick, Bronx accent and was best known by many as Laverne of the hit show Laverne and Shirley.
(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
It was revealed today that she died in her home last night due to complications from diabetes.
Marshall was born in The Bronx on October 15, 1943 and grew up in Bedford Park at 3235 Grand Concourse.
She attended attended Walton High School over on Reservoir which was an all girls public school back then.
From 1976 to 1983 she played Laverne DeFazio on Laverne and Shirley and in 1986 she directed her first film, Jumping Jack Flash starring Whoopi Goldberg.
Three years later, she made history with Big which grossed over $100 million and was the first film directed by a woman to reach such a milestone.
Marshall also directed A League of Their Own in 1992.
Thanks, Penny, for all the laughs and great movies. Thanks for making The Bronx proud. You will be missed.
WATCH: JLo Surprises Fans at Bronx Screening of ‘Second Act’
Jennifer Lopez aka JLo aka Jenny From The Block surprised fans last week at Bay Plaza Cinemas in Co-op City during a screening for her new movie, ‘Second Act’.
She claimed that this was the movie theater she’d go to while she was growing up in our borough.
ET reports:
“We are going to do a surprise everybody! We’re in the Bronx, this is where I used to go to the movies!” J. Lo announced, giddily revealing that her hometown return even influenced the showstopping boots she wore that day. “We are coming to the Bronx, we could not disappoint.”
“I think people know that I kind of take that Bronx flag with me wherever I go, that Jenny from the block, that’s just who I am,” she continued. “So whenever I get to come back here and bring what I do and show it and share it, it just has a little bit of a nostalgic, cozy, fuzzy feeling for me.”
You can catch one of the versions below and another in a link after the clip.
Check out the better video here (sorry we can’t embed because ET doesn’t allow it!)
On a different note, we’re glad that JLo is finally showing a little bit more love to the borough she claims to have made her who she is.
And the Top 10 Books Checked Out at Bronx Libraries Are…
The New York Public Library has published its list of the top ten books checked out in The Bronx for 2018.
So what’s the most popular book in our borough?
The top spot goes to Origin: A Novel by Dan Brown, the wildly popular author who wrote The Davinci Code.
The full list is as follows:
Top 10 Books in the Bronx
- Origin: A Novel by Dan Brown
- TASC: Test Assessing Secondary Completion: Strategies, Practice, & Review, 2017-2018 by Kaplan
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- The People vs. Alex Cross by James Patterson
- Red Alert by Marshall Karp and James Patterson
- The 17th Suspect by James Patterson
- Haunted by James O. Born and James Patterson
- Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
- Count to Ten by James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi
- Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff
NYPL also provided the top book checked out at each branch:
Top Book by Branch in the Bronx
- Allerton – The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- Baychester – The People vs. Alex Cross by James Patterson
- Belmont – Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Pookie Rolf
- Bronx Library Center – Origin: A Novel by Dan Brown
- Castle Hill – TASC: Test Assessing Secondary Completion: Strategies, Practice, & Review, 2017-2018 by Kaplan
- City Island – The Treasure of Hart Island by Mike Monahan
- Clason’s Point – Twitter for Dummies by Laura Fitton, Michael E. Gruen, and Leslie Poston
- Eastchester – The Great American Birthday Cake Book by Dean Brettschneider, Jazmine Nixon and Wendy Nixon
- Edenwald – Grand Opening 2 by La Jill Hunt and Carl Weber
- Francis Martin – TASC: Test Assessing Secondary Completion: Strategies, Practice, & Review, 2017-2018 by Kaplan
- Grand Concourse – The Elements of Resume Style: Essential Rules for Writing Resumes and Cover Letters that Work by Scott Bennett
- High Bridge – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Hunt’s Point – Murdergram: Part 2 by Nisa Santiago
- Jerome Park – TASC: Test Assessing Secondary Completion: Strategies, Practice, & Review, 2017-2018 by Kaplan
- Kingsbridge – Origin: A Novel by Dan Brown
- Melrose – The People vs. Alex Cross by James Patterson
- Morris Park – Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- Morrisania – The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
- Mosholu – Swing Time by Zadie Smith
- Mott Haven – Unsuccessful Thug: One Comedian’s Journey from Naptown to Tinseltown by Mike Epps
- Parkchester – Traffic Enforcement Agent: Test Preparation Study Guide, Questions & Answers
- Pelham Bay – Haunted by James O. Born and James Patterson
- Pelham Parkway-Van Nest – Calculus by Frank Ayres and Elliott Mendelson
- Riverdale – Origin: A Novel by Dan Brown
- Sedgwick – Magic Touch: A Brooklyn Girls Story by Treasure Hernandez
- Soundview – Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Pookie Rolf
- Spuyten Duyvil – Origin: A Novel by Dan Brown
- Throg’s Neck – Origin: A Novel by Dan Brown
- Tremont – TASC: Test Assessing Secondary Completion: Strategies, Practice, & Review, 2017-2018 by Kaplan
- Van Cortlandt – The Official SAT Study Guide: 2018
- Wakefield – Red Alert by Marshall Karp and James Patterson
- West Farms – Grand Opening 2 by La Jill Hunt and Carl Weber
- Westchester Square – New York City SHSAT Specialized High Schools Admissions Test Specialized High Schools Admissions Test
- Woodlawn Heights – Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
- Woodstock – The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
At 55%, The Bronx Has Highest Rate of Residents Who Can’t Afford the Basics
Here’s another report about The Bronx that probably (and sadly) won’t shock you.
According to Overlooked & Undercounted 2018: The Self-Sufficiency Standard for New York City, a report by City Harvest, our borough has the highest rate of residents below the standard of self-sufficiency.
Citywide the rate is 40% but in our borough it’s much higher.
What that means is that at 55%, over half of residents in a borough of almost 1.5 million (over 800,000 if you don’t want to do the math) cannot afford the basic necessities in life such as child care, health care, food, and housing.
In The Bronx, an adult with two school age children needs $5,262 a month to cover the basic costs of living which breaks down to: housing at $1,562, child care at $1,354, food at $659, healthcare at $513, transportation at $121, misc at $421, and taxes at $632.
In some community districts in The Bronx that figure is as high as 69%.
Only Riverdale, Kingsbridge and Fieldston in the Northwest Bronx and Throggs Neck, Country Club, Co-op City, Schuylerville, and Pelham Bay in the East Bronx were below the 40% citywide average.
Breakdown by Bronx Community Districts are as follows:
- CB 1&2 – 67%
- CB 3&6 – 69%
- CB 4 – 68%
- CB 5 – 55%
- CB 7 – 65%
- CB 8 – 36%
- CB 9 – 52%
- CB 10 – 30%
- CB 11 – 42%
- CB 12 – 46%
This is despite the fact that the The Bronx has the lowest cost of living index in New York City at $51,180 which in the end doesn’t matter that it’s the lowest since the median household income in our borough is only $36,593 with individual per capita income at only $19,721 as per the most recent Census survey dated July 1, 2017.
Due to all these poor economic indicators, over 50% of Bronx neighborhoods are experiencing high or extreme poverty.
Let that sink in. In what’s supposed to the be the greatest city in the country in the greatest country on earth, you have residents experiencing high AND extreme poverty as luxury condos and rentals rise around these very neighborhoods.
“I’ve been living in the Bronx with my husband and daughter for about 8 years now, and everything is getting more expensive. They just raised my rent double. So, it’s hard,” Emily said.
What’s surprising about this study is that even though these residents can’t afford the basics, two-thirds are not considered to be poor according to federal guidelines.
This results in many of them not being able to qualify for basic support services.
Metro US reports:
“I live paycheck-to-paycheck. I don’t get any benefits, I don’t get food stamps, and I’m not on welfare. I just work and I don’t know how I’m making everything meet,” Emily, a Bronx resident, told City Harvest.
Nearly Half of NYC Residents Can’t Afford the Basics: Report
According to the report, families’ efforts are exacerbated by the reality that housing, health care, and other costs are rising faster than wages in the city.
“I’ve been living in the Bronx with my husband and daughter for about 8 years now, and everything is getting more expensive. They just raised my rent double. So, it’s hard,” Emily said.
For a Bronx family of three, one adult with two kids needs a minimum annual income around $76,000 which is almost four times the official poverty measures (20,780) and double what a minimum wage job pays.
“It’s very tough to know that families are being forced to choose between paying for health care, a place to live or food,” DeVaughn said.
Some key findings in the report include:
- Overall rates of income inadequacy are double for people of color vs Whites which is at 24%
- More than half of Latino households have inadequate income at 56%
- Asian/Pacific Islanders are at 44%
- Blacks/African American at 47%
- Single women of color have an even more dismal out look as 83% of Latina single mothers lack adequate income (the rate is 74% for single Black mothers and 64% for single Asian mothers).
And all of this is happening as rents are rapidly rising particularly in the South and West Bronx in areas that are considered to be gentrifying.
The Bronx is already the most rent-burdened borough where people are paying more of what little income they have towards rent when compared to other parts of NYC.
We’re also home to some of the most at-risk communities for homelessness where residents are a paycheck or two away from losing their homes.
We sincerely ask how is gentrification going to solve this as supporters of development claim it will help folks?
If you get displaced, you get erased. Nothing left to help uplift you out of poverty.
You can read the full report here.
South Bronx Waterfront Lot is Biggest Development Site on Market in NYC
The Real Deal has reported that two adjacent development sites along the Harlem River are being sold as a package deal.
According to the brokers for the deal, the site is the largest development site in NYC on the market at the moment.
Last month, 399 Exterior Street was reported to be on the market for $30 million and just this week it was announced that about 60,000 square feet of that lot was seized by the City of New York via eminent domain to create a new waterfront park.
The combined lots offer up to 600,000 square feet of potential development as per current zoning regulations for the Special Harlem River Waterfront District subset of the Lower Concourse Rezoning which was approved back in 2009.
They also have over 700 feet of frontage along the waterfront.
The big question now is, will someone buy this property and if so, what will go here? Whatever is built, be it “affordable” housing or market-rate luxury, it will continue to add fuel to the new fire in the South Bronx that is gentrification.
WATCH: Is This The End of The Famous Bronx Christmas House?
After 45 years of shining bright and ushering in the holiday season along Pelham Parkway, it seems the Garabedian Bronx Christmas House may be lit for the last time.
For decades, the famous house at 1605 Pelham Parkway has been dazzling Bronxites and visitors with their extravagant Christmas displays that rival Macy’s holiday windows but the past several years the show has been starting later and later.
This time, local Bronxites in the area began to buzz on social media across several Facebook groups that it didn’t feel like Christmas as it was already December 3rd and the house wasn’t lit up yet.
It’s usually lit by Thanksgiving much the joy (and maybe chagrin) of its neighbors causing traffic back-ups as people passing by (and making pilgrimages to see it) slow down to catch a glimpse of the bright spectacle.
The current drama surrounding the fact that the house is barely a shell of its former self is so intense that even Gothamist trekked up to The Bronx to check it out for themselves.
They write:
This year, though, its light has dimmed. On December 3rd, we noticed a disclaimer posted to the house’s Facebook page. “We have had a delay in finishing the Christmas house; however, we are hoping to have the house ready to go soon!” reads a message written 11 days after Thanksgiving, the day the full panorama traditionally makes its seasonal debut. “We will put up a post on Facebook when the house is officially ready. Thank you for your continued love and support.” At time of writing—with just under two weeks to go until Christmas—no updates had been posted.
Undaunted, we pressed forward with our search for answers. Gothamist photographer Tod Seelie made his way to 1605 Pelham Parkway on December 5th, and upon arrival, confirmed the sad truth: The house had only been halfway finished, and further, its owners did not seem even a little inclined to discuss the delay. “We were able to get the attention of the owners through a window to ask if they could turn the lights on briefly, and were answered with an abrupt lowering of (admittedly festive) window shades,” Seelie reported upon filing his photos, seen above.
A reporter from the Gothamist ended up going back the next day and said it was mostly dark sadly.
Even News12 The Bronx showed up but they were able to speak with the owner, Gary Garabedian who said they’ve been delayed due to family problems and then the cold weather hit but promised the house would be lit by this weekend so only time will tell.
Even if it does get lit, we, like many others have noticed that the past several years it’s been delayed more and more.
So we ask, is this the end of a Bronx Christmas tradition I’ve known all my life like many others?
If it is, Christmas in The Bronx will never be the same.
Say it ain’t so, Santa, say it ain’t so.
WATCH: Why NYC’s Real Little Italy is Thriving in The Bronx
One of our favorite neighborhoods in The Bronx is Little Italy in Belmont.
We’ve written about this gem of a neighborhood on numerous occasions and it’s simply because it’s one of the most unique enclaves in New York City and honestly because we have the best and only REAL Little Italy in the city.
NY1 took a look into the area and talks about why we’re still thriving up here while Manhattan’s more famous Little Italy is simply a shell of its former self.
You can watch the NY1 video here (sorry we can’t embed it like other videos because they’re restrictive with sharing).
In the meantime, you can watch our video below
WATCH: Bronx Raised Legend, Rita Moreno, Dancing On Her 87th Birthday
Puerto Rican born and Bronx raised icon, Rita Moreno, ushered in her 87th birthday dancing mambo!
The legendary actress and entertainer has a career that stretches over 70 years and this week’s birthday celebration showed us a woman who we love and adore with no signs of stopping now.
Watch the video below and let’s wish Rita a happy birthday!
Old City Island Bridge Heading to the Ocean to Expand Artificial Reef
The remnants of the beloved old City Island Bridge, which was closed off to traffic on December 18, 2015 before being dismantled, are headed to the Atlantic Ocean.
After serving residents of The Bronx for 114 years, the bridge will now become part of an artificial reef off the coast of Long Island.
Hempstead Reef is located about 3.3 miles south of Jones Beach measuring 744 acres in size and is one of 12 such artificial reefs managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
This project is part of New York State’s largest expansion of these reefs in state history according to a press release from Governor Cuomo’s office.
“These concrete and steel bridge materials will enhance the local marine habitat and fishery populations, benefitting both anglers and divers frequenting New York’s artificial reefs,” Commissioner Seggos said. “Governor Cuomo recognizes that expanding Long Island’s artificial reefs is an innovative way to reuse materials for the benefit of the environment and our economy. I commend DEC’s marine resources staff for their work in this ongoing, historic reef expansion effort.”
According to the governor’s office, “The state’s program is designed to build a stronger, more diverse marine ecosystem and provide shelter for fish and other marine life off New York’s shores in an effort to expand recreation and tourism opportunities.”
The new City Island Bridge is just a causeway without any character like the old bridge/©James T Breen
While we miss the beautiful old City Island Bridge which was replaced with that ugly causeway, at least it will live on now under the sea and home to marine life.
What a fitting end to a bridge that once transported us over the water to now rest under the Atlantic Ocean.
Cover image ©James T. Breen who along with his brother Tommy Breen have covered extensively the dismantling of the old bridge as well as the construction of the new one. You can view and follow their work over at The New City Island Bridge on Facebook.