The parking lot is slated to give way to two new affordable housing developments with 425 units including 133 for seniors.
The Mitchell-Lama Park Lane Apartments at 1965 Lafayette Avenue in the Soundview section of The Bronx is slated to get new neighbors as the City Planning Commission has approved a rezoning of the the site to convert a parking lot and basketball courts into two buildings with 425 units of affordable housing, one of which will be for seniors.
City Land NYC reports that the two buildings will be 14 stories in height with 292 affordable housing units in one and 133 units of affordable housing for seniors in the other with both buildings connecting in the basement with a new 67-space parking garage.
The development will also include outdoor recreation as well as a new replacement basketball court and an indoor fitness center.
Since this lot will be rezoned under the new Mandatory Inclusionary Housing zoning text mandate, a portion of the units, once constructed, will remain permanently affordable.
Rendering via City Planning Commission
Depending on which option is chosen by the developer, that can mean that 25% of the units will remain permanently affordable to residents making 60% of the area median income (AMI) (which we know is a lie because it’s always inflated and doesn’t truly reflect the actual immediate area median income) and 10% of units for households making 40% of the AMI.
According to City Land NYC, another option would be 30% of the units remaining permanently affordable making 80% of AMI.
No exact time frame has been provided for construction and completion of this proposed project.
YIMBY has revealed renderings for an alleged luxury building coming to Port Morris just 2 blocks from the Randall’s Island Connector but there’s only one catch: The lot isn’t zoned for residential and was left out of the 2004 rezoning of the area.
The proposed site is actually comprised of 3 separate lots with the main address of 767 E 133rd Street at the corner of Willow Avenue just around the corner of Port Morris Distillery and a block from the Randall’s Island Connector. For whatever reason, with the exception of one lot, they were carved out of the rezoning back in 2004.
According to YIMBY, the building will be 115,600 square foot building with 126 units (19 studios, 66 one-bedrooms, 22 two-bedrooms, and 19 three-bedroom units) with an address of 111 Willow Avenue (much cuter than 767 E 133rd Street). The building will also feature ground floor residential.
Further research by Welcome2TheBronx reveals that the properties are owned by Bronx-based developers, the Altmark Group but their website doesn’t list any plans for the site and in fact has a listing for leasing of all four floors.
A search of New York City Department of Building records do not show any filings for demolition of the properties or work filed for new construction leaving us to question whether or not this is a pipe dream or is actually happening because YIMBY states that the development is estimated to be completed by 2020, however, with no plans filed nor applications for rezoning the property, 2020 is an impossible target date
Furthermore, any rezonings will be subject to MIH, or Mandatory Inclusionary Housing which guarantees a portion of any residential units created on lots that are rezoned to be permanently affordable.
We’re waiting to hear back from the Altmark Group for further clarification and will update this page accordingly so feel free to bookmark.
Rendering Via Newman Design
Of course, there are those who continue to deny that gentrification is occurring in the area. Tell that to the folks who currently rent apartments in the houses along 133rd Street.
Italian American family in Morris Park/Image Via the Bronx Italian American History Initiative
The Bronx Italian American History Initiative at Fordham University is seeking Italian Americans from our borough to create an online archive of personal stories of Italians and Italian Americans, the Bronx neighborhoods they settled and lived in as well as worked.
According to the BIAHI:
“Italian immigrants and their children made lasting contributions to the texture of life in the Bronx. They built churches and movie theaters, formed sports organizations and social clubs, and established small businesses that continue to thrive today. They are an essential part of Bronx and Fordham history.
We want to tell Italian American story: our interactive, public archive will showcase the complexity of the Italian American experience from a multiethnic perspective. Working with the Bronx African American History Project, our goal is to establish Fordham as a leader in community oral history and research.”
Also, they are currently raising funds to cover the costs of this wonderful project documenting one of the many ethnic communities that make up our wonderful borough so any donation helps.
The interviews take place at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus Mondays through Fridays September through April and generally lasts about 1-2 hours. According to the BIAHI, the interviews just like having a normal conversation where they will ask you anything from religious traditions, to foods, to language and other things revolving around daily life.
These sessions are recorded via audio and video and if you agree, it will be made available online for but public and scholarly use.
Illustration of Bill Finger and Bob Kane on a bench at Poe Park in The Bronx/ Via Marc Tyler Nobleman’s Bill The Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman
On December 8th, late Bronxite and DeWitt Clinton alumni Bill Finger and co-creator of Batman will have justice with a Bronx street renamed after him.
For years, many only knew Bob Kane as the creator of Batman but it was actually Bill Finger who gave Bob Kane not only the idea of how Batman should look but also created his origin story and wrote many of the stories during the beginning of the rise of the Dark Knight.
Born Milton Finger in Denver, Colorado on February 8, 1914, eventually he and his family moved to The Bronx where he was raised and went to DeWitt Clinton High School (where Bob Kane went as well).
Kane was trying to come up with a character to compete with the craze created by Superman but was stuck in a rut when he asked Bill Finger for some advice. The two would meet up at Poe Park on the Grand Concourse to come up with ideas and it was Finger who told him to change his costume into what became the Batman we know today.
But Bill never received any credit for this. The struggle to give him the credit he deserved even became the subject of a documentary on Hulu
Sadly, he passed away in 1974 so he never got to receive the credit or fame for his contribution but at least history has been corrected.
So it’s only fitting that E 192nd Street at Grand Concourse, just at the southern end of Poe Park, will be renamed for Bill Finger to honor yet another great Bronxite. Someone who helped create a character loved by millions.
John-Paul Annunziato with his collection of 80s memorabilia…over 30,000 items which he’s spent $100k+/Image via his Facebook page, 80sthen80snow
Hey. I was born in 1975 and am a child of the 80s. I LOVE the 80s. But John-Paul Annunziato of Morris Park in The Bronx takes his love to an obsession that has cost him over $100,000 as he continues to splurge on 80s memorabilia.
Annunziato has filled his one bedroom apartment with over 30,000 gnarly items like Atari video games and consoles to cereal boxes. Even cans of Aquanet (remember those big hair days?) can be found in his collection. Heck, even Cliff Notes!!! If it’s from the 80s, you name, he probably has it.
According to his website, 80sthen80snow.com, his obsession began after his tragic (and apparently violent) death of his parents in 2009 which he claims set him on a path to recreate his childhood.
This led to his humongous collection that he claims is museum worthy and is historic but Guinness Book of Records denied his application saying that the collection was too broad in scope to be considered as an entry.
Anywho, shout out to John-Paul for his collection. One day, I’d like a tour and go down memory lane myself.
The Jerome Avenue Rezoning Area, which was originally branded Cromwell-Jerome Study Areabut since changed due to backlash by the community at the mere thought of another neighborhood name change, was also approved by community boards 4, 5, and 7 with conditions.
New York City Department of City Planning and everyone who has been pushing this agenda have done so without any regards to what residents actually want despite their insistence that this was a “community led” action.
No it was not.
Back in March of 2015, hundreds of residents gathered despite the cold and heavy rains to voice their opposition to the rezonings.
The community never asked for a rezoning, it was Mayor de Blasio and his cronies who decided that this area of The Bronx “needed” to be rezoned to accommodate an ever expanding city.
But at what cost?
We already know these rezonings end up causing displacement and shifts the economic make up of working class neighborhoods as speculative prices begin to rise ever upwards.
Department of City Planning cites the area as being well-served by mass transit but what they neglect and fail miserably in truthfully disclosing is what we already know: That those subway lines are at capacity and cannot take any more people.
How many people have to sometimes wait and let a train or two pass by before they can actually get on? Straphangers are already crushed like sardines by the time they get to 149th Street and Grand Concourse, another area that is experiencing a population boom thanks to the 2009 rezoning of the Lower Concourse.
How are we supposed to house people with promises of good transit options when we know that’s a lie and the MTA system is collapsing before our very eyes?
What about the long time mom and pop businesses along Jerome Avenue including the autoworkers that are facing displacement once rezonings are approved? These critically needed blue color jobs are at risk and so are the livelihoods of thousands.
The city cannot continue to rezone at will whenever they please as our infrastructure crumbles around us. Why are we catering to a population that isn’t even here and neglecting our own who are struggling day-to-day?
Make your voices heard Wednesday, November 29th, at the City Planning Commission public hearing at 10am located at 22 Reade Street in Manhattan.
Zaro’s Bakery in Parkchester shortly before losing in December 2015/Image by Nilka Martell of Loving The Bronx
I can already taste the challah or the black and white cookies!
Zaro’s Bakery is reopening its doors in Parkchester tomorrow almost 2 years after they shut their doors, much to the neighborhood and the borough’s disappointment, where they once stood for 56 years.
And they’re reopening is JUST in time for Thanksgiving and the holiday season!
Occupying a much smaller space just a couple of doors away from their original location, the reopening marks the return of their retail presence in our borough where the company was founded 90 years ago.
As part of their coming back to the community, Zaro’s has pledged to donate 25% of tomorrow’s Reopening Day sales at their new 1309 Metropolitan Avenue location to ongoing humanitarian relief efforts for Puerto Rico following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.
“We’re thrilled to be back in the old neighborhood and to see so many warm and familiar faces again. As we heat up the ovens once more we do so tomorrow in aid of our friends and family in Puerto Rico who are dear to so many of our valued customers – in Parkchester and throughout the City.” said Brian Zaro, executive vice president of Zaro’s Family Bakery in a press release.
I’ll definitely be there tomorrow to welcome them back, hope you can stop by at some point and support a great cause and Bronx institution at the same time!
A study by Point2 Homes showsthat despite The Bronx’s median home sales price of $251,000 being under the national median of $258,300, our borough is the 12th most unaffordable housing market in the nation and 16th in North America due to a low median household income of $34,299.
The Bronx is considered severely unaffordable with a median multiple of 6.7 which is derived by the median home sales price divided by the median household income.
Nationwide, Manhattan took the #1 spot with median multiple of 15.6, Brooklyn at #3 with a median multiple of 13.1, and Queens at #10 and a median multiple of 7.9. Staten Island was the only affordable borough using those parameters.
Overall, New York City’s 5 boroughs ranked as the 4th most unaffordable city in the nation at 12.1.
This affordability crisis in our borough is one of the reasons that Bronxites are at greater risk of being displaced as gentrification continues to push through inflating home prices even further out of reach of residents.
One of the ways to combat displacement is through home ownership but even that is almost impossible for the average Bronx resident.
We must do better for our communities and instead of pandering to developers we should be developing our workforce to be able to get higher paying jobs.
Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani, PhD, RD, will lead the study which will recruit over 300 middle aged Co-op City Residents between the ages of 40-65 due to the neighborhood’s large and ethnically diverse population.
There have been previous studies that indicate diets rich in anti-inflammatory foods like olive oil, fish, and a variety of leafy green veggies appear to slow down cognitive decline and improve overall brain health like the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) diets.
“A key aspect of the study is using the Multicultural Healthy Diet, which is built on a base of known anti-inflammatory foods, including whole grains, fish, lentils, nuts, beans, and herbs and spices,” Dr. Mossavar-Rahmani said. “Many of the foods in this diet are widely available and used in cuisines around the world, rather than emanating from one specific region.”
“The beauty of the study is that we’re assessing diet and cognition in real time rather than having participants travel to a clinic for every cognitive assessment,” said Mossavar-Rahmani. “And we’re looking at an ethnically diverse population of middle-aged and older people. Perhaps we’ll learn that we can change the course of cognitive decline with this diet or reduce risk for mild cognitive impairment that leads to Alzheimer’s disease.”
We’re looking forward to see the data that comes out of this since this is rather personal for us. On my father’s side of the family it’s rare that a family member does NOT get diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and we’ve had many loved ones perish from this terrible disease.
BREAKING―New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres of The Bronx, who chairs the Committee for Public Housing and who oversees New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), just issued a statement requiring that disgraced NYCHA Chairwoman, Shola Olatoye, “…to appear before a City Council oversight hearing in early December.” according to a press release issued by the office of the councilman.
This comes just days after a report by the Department of Investigation showed that NYCHA had lied and been sending in false reports to the federal government that the agency was in compliance with checking over 55,000 apartments which must be visually inspected for lead paint, something which Olatoye knew to be false but continued to submit the reports anyway.
NYCHA, which is already crumbling and in disrepair, has willfully put our children and residents at risk by not carrying out the necessary inspections for lead paint.
Olatoye needs to be fired. There is no questions about it nor any point to a hearing at this point and should have criminal charges thrown at her for what she has done to our most vulnerable residents.
Incidence of lead poisoning in our children has continued to decline in New York City and The Bronx has an overall lower incident rate than the rest of the city, but this is an unacceptable act of violence towards our residents who deserve better.
Today, Councilman Rafael Salamanca, Jr went to a NYCHA apartment at Melrose Houses in his District 17 to show the deplorable conditions residents are living in with lead paint./Image via Salamanca’s Twitter Feed
How is this any better than what has been happening in Flint, Michigan where the entire population of over 100,000 people were exposed to high levels of lead yet the government knew and did nothing about it?
New York City Public Advocate Letitia James is right in calling for new leadership at the failed agency that is NYCHA. This recent scandal with lying about lead paint inspections is just one of the many issues plaguing the agency as the infrastructure of over 2,600 buildings is rotting away.
According to the Observer, James came to the conclusion that Olatoye needs to resign after meeting with her and not receiving neither a real explanation of what and why it happened nor what the agency planned on doing to rectify the problem.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bill de Blasio is on the wrong side of the fence and defending Olatoye rather than pushing for further investigations or just forcing her to resign.
What is there to defend? The report was quite clear which stated:
” In its Report, DOI shows that despite its senior staff being made aware that NYCHA was out of compliance with City lead laws in 2015, and its Chair, Shola Olatoye, being told in 2016 of non-compliance with both City and Federal rules, certifications were still submitted to the federal government. As a result of this investigation, and three additional DOI investigations that revealed other serious safety hazards and breakdowns over the past two years, DOI is recommending that a monitor, reporting to DOI, be appointed to ensure future compliance with inspections in areas including lead paint, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.”
Councilman Rafael Salamanca, Jr of The Bronx called for the appointment of an independent monitor and just today visited an apartment at Melrose Houses to show the deplorable conditions residents are living with lead paint.
These issues are above politics. It’s a reality that too many in the BX are living in unsafe conditions in @NYCHA units w lead paint. pic.twitter.com/Itl3CT5Pq8
“In the past 36 hours I have reviewed the Department of Investigation’s report multiple times,” he said. “I have also spoken to tenants and others knowledgeable on these issues. I believe there is no justification for why lead paint testing and abatement wasn’t completed and reported properly. This was incompetent at best, negligent at worst.” said Councilman Salamanca Jr
And what Salamanca said in his tweet is correct, “This issues are above politics…”
We demand better. We demand Shola Olatoye steps down and let someone who is competent and has the morals to do what is right.
Liebman’s Kosher Deli is simply the best kosher deli in NYC…who knew?/Image via Liebman’s Facebook Page
The Bronx has tons of culinary gems to keep our palates busy and thanks to Fordham University professor Mark Naison, PhD, he’s given us 13 of his favorite affordable restaurants in our borough.
Who doesn’t appreciate good, affordable food?
Dr Naison writes:
Here are some of my favorite affordable eating spots in the Bronx. I have “field tested” all of them and can give assurance for their quality.
1. Johnson BBQ. 790 E 163rd St, Bronx, NY 10456 between Union and Tinton Avenues. Been in the same spot for over 50 years. GREAT ribs, chicken, mac and cheese, candied yams, rice and peas. Take out only- no drinks sold. Closed Monday. Say “the professor sent you” and you will get larger portions
2. Premium Sweets 2104 Starling Ave, Bronx, NY 10462 Excellent South Asian food in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, the site of the Bronx’s largest Bengali community. It is actually a neighborhood where you can find a parking space
3. Pio Pio 264 Cypress Ave, Bronx, NY 10454 Great Peruvian food in a classy atmosphere in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx. The roast chicken, ceviche, platanos, and empanadas are amazing. Also a neighborhood where parking is possible.
4. The Crab Shanty 361 City Island Ave, Bronx, NY 10464. The best lunch special on City Island. Has its own parking lot. Excellent garlic bread served with every meal. Excellent broiled fish cooked in many styles and terrific King Crab legs. Friendly atmosphere and a real Bronx crowd
5. Com Tam Ninh Kieu 2641 Jerome Ave, Bronx, NY 10468 Great Vietnamese food at affordable prices on Jerome Avenue near Kingsbridge Road. You know the food is good because most of the people eating there are either Vietnamese Bronxites or doctors from the Veterans Hospital. I love their Pho!
6. Papaye 2300 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10458. A Ghanaian Restaurant at Grand Concourse and 183rd Street with great food for those who like their eating on the spicy side. II love their goat kabobs, but everything is tasty. Just make sure you have lots of water with you if you do take out
7. 3 Way 384 E, 188th St, Bronx, NY 10458. Great Dominican food within walking distance of Fordham. My favorites are the roaster chicken with rice and beans, maduros, tostones, bacalao ( codfish) pernil ( roast pork) and mafongo.
8. Venice Restaurant 772 E 149th St, Bronx, NY 10455. A South Bronx fixture for 50 years which is half the price of Arthur Avenue. Huge portions, friendly service. They do an excellent job with shrimp and calamari. And also have some great hot hero sandwiches
9. Randazzo’s Seafood 2327 Arthur Ave, Bronx NY 10458 – If you love clams on the half shell, this is the place to get them. Strictly take out, but incredibly delicious!
10. Estrellita Publana III : 2328 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458. It may seem odd to recommend a Mexican restaurant in Arthur Avenue, but this place is a slam dunk. Excellent food, big portions, reasonable prices. Passed over by most of the tourists, but not by eaters in the know!
11. Bronx Beer Hall 2344 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458 in the Arthur Avenue Market. Surprising good food, as well as excellent beer because they order from the legendary Mike’s Deli. An excellent place to hold a party, a seminar or a discussion group!
12. The G Bar 150th Street just West of the Grand Concourse. Live Jazz, terrific happy hour, big drinks and excellent Italian food. This is where Bronx professionals gather after work. A fun spot which also has a great Sunday Brunch
13. Liebman’s Kosher Delicatessan 552 W 235th St, Bronx, NY 10463. The best old fashioned Jewish delicatessen in the Bronx. Hug stuffed sandwiches, matzo ball soup, chopped liver. i grew up on this stuff! Maybe that’s why I am still teaching at age 71!
Mark Naison is Professor of History and African American Studies at Fordham University. A recipient of a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University, he is the author of seven books and over 300 articles on African American politics, labor history, popular culture and education policy. His first book, Communists in Harlem in the Depression, published in 1983, is still in print, and is used in graduate courses around the nation.
Dr. Naison is the founder of the Bronx African American History Project, one of the largest community based oral history projects in the nation and has brought his research into more than 30 Bronx schools, as well as Bronx based cultural organizations and NGO’s. In recent years, the BAAHP’s research has led to granting landmark status to several streets with historic significance, as well as the founding of a cultural center honoring the Bronx’s musical heritage.
A co-founder of the Bronx Berlin Youth exchange, Naison has published articles about Bronx music and Bronx culture in German, Spanish, Catalan, and Portuguese as well as English, and given talks about these subjects in Germany, Spain and Italy. He recently published a novel, Pure Bronx, co-written with his former student Melissa Castillo-Garsow, and a book of essays on educational policy and Bronx history, Badass Teachers Unite.
His seventh book, co-authored by Bob Gumbs, and published by Fordham University Press in September 2016, is Before the Fires: An Oral History of African American Life in the Bronx from the 1930s to the 1960s. This book is one of the featured readings in a new course offered by Dr. Naison at Fordham in Fall 2016 entitled “The Bronx: Immigration, Race and Culture.” He has also been featured on many news programs, the O’Reilly Factor, and the Chappelle Show, where his performance was satirized by Louis CK on Saturday Night Live.
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New York City Public Advocate Letitia James’s office has issued their Worst Landlord and Worst Buildings list that are ranked by total number of open violations on the list.
Two of the top ten worst buildings in The Bronx are owned by two owners who also made it to the top ten worst landlords in New York City.
1892 Morris Avenue in the Mount Hope section of the borough ranked as the worst building with a whopping 485 violations owned by Rawle Isaacs who is the 2nd worst landlord in New York City according to this list.
Over in Parkchester, 2001 Newbold Avenue, a 105 unit building with 294 HPD violations ranked as #6 in The Bronx’s worst buildings and its owner, Thomas Steiner, ranked as the 3rd worst landlord in New York City.
The ten worst buildings in The Bronx are as follows:
[table id=3 /]
These slumlords need to be held accountable. Our residents deserve better living conditions regardless of their economic status. Clean housing is a basic human right.
