Shrine Church of St Ann on Bainbridge Avenue in Norwood and Church of The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kingsbridge across from Van Cortlandt Park were officially deconsecrated by the Archdiocese of New York paving their way for their eventual sale.

Although no deals have been announced nor are the churches up for sale, the Archdiocese of New York’s deconsecration of these houses of worship opens up for this very possibility―something which they do not hesitate in mentioning in the official decrees issued by Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan of the New York.

Sadly, these houses of worship do not have landmark status that would protect them from being demolished like St Augustine Church in Morrisania (or at the very least make it difficult).

The Catholic Church, in an effort to make money by selling off these properties, is pretty adamant against landmark status which would make it more difficult to sell down the road.

In its decree for the deconsecration of Visitation, Cardinal Dolan writes:

“Wheras the Church is not an archaeological museum but rather the old well of the village that gives water to the generations of today as it did to those of the past (Cf. Pope Saint John XXIII, Homily during the solemn liturgy in Byzantine-Slavic rite in honor of Saint John Chrysostom, November 13, 1960: AAS 52 [1960] 963)”

This line is often quoted and cited when the church moves against landmarking status of their properties as was in the case of Immaculate Conception Church in Melrose last year.

It is truly sad that the church has no regard for these places as being central to so many people beyond just their faiths and yes, they ARE archaeological museums beyond their main purpose as a house of worship.

These structures stand to the histories of the neighborhoods where they stand in; They provide a record of an evolution of a neighborhood bearing witness to the ages.

They are more than just a place where people go to worship but often a focal point for community activism.

The “infallible” church is incorrect in trying to diminish the meanings of these structures and sadly is blinded by its own greed to fill its coffers.

Rather than selling them off if they are no longer deemed worthy for worship, then why not turn them over back to the communities which they serve? Isn’t that what Jesus would have done?

The Clocktower’s luxury expansion in Port Morris has been revealed as The Crescendo (comprised of two buildings, one called The Staccato and the other The Legato) proclaiming that they are in New York City’s “Piano District” with rents starting at $2,200 and going well over the $2,800 monthly rental for 2 bedroom 2 bathroom units.

Wait what? The Piano District? What Piano District? Where exactly is The Piano District? Did these people not learn about what a disaster that was for Somerset Partners and The Chetrit Group when they attempted to rebrand the neighborhood and host a tasteless Bronx is Burning party?

Although at one point the Port Morris area was known as the piano manufacturing epicenter of the country, it was never called that. This is simply an attempt to whitewash the history of the neighborhood and more importantly the washing away of a name synonymous with people of color in the South Bronx.

The “genius” behind this marketing effort for 25 Bruckner Boulevard (the physical address for “The Crescendo”) is the Manhattan based Mdrn. Residential who writes on their website in a listing,

“…A residential complex built to commemorate the history of an area once familiarized as, “The Piano District.” The complex is composed of two residential buildings, “The Staccato” and “The Legato.” To create unity between the buildings both are named after piano rhythms and feature shareable community amenities, providing an all-new rhythmic living experience specific to the South Bronx”

Gentrifiers would MUCH rather look into the deepest past and overlook the current history and culture of people of color in the neighborhoods they are invading and displacing people.

Forget the well over half a century of history, culture, good and bad that is synonymous with the South Bronx for the almighty dollar.

This is what they have to say about “culture” in Mott Haven:

Hope these folks paying top dollar won’t mind the smell of garbage that permeates the air which we’ve had to endure all our lives along with some of the worst air quality in the city which plagues our communities creating one of the highest rates of asthma in the nation.

More renderings below:

It’s been three and a half years since the Bloomberg administration, on its way out the door in December 2013, announced that a 992 unit development was coming to the last large assemblage of vacant lots in Melrose at The Hub.

Last year, the development was finally approved by the New York City Council and was one of the first to have Mandatory Inclusionary Housing where a set number of units must be set aside for permanent affordability.

The first building under construction will be for 160 units of supportive housing set aside for older adults living with HIV/AIDS and veterans with mental health issues with support provided on site.

Designed by MHG Architects, F/XFOWLE, Future Green Studio, the 1.1 million square foot development will be constructed across 2 phases and include a state-of-the-art 50,000 square foot YMCA, 10,000 square foot expansion for BronxNet, 45,000 square feet of retail space, and even a rooftop astronomy lab on a 25 story building run by Bronx High School of Science.

For all its bells and whistles, though, the development is a failure in that it does not provide a home ownership component, something we were asking for since this project was unveiled.

In order to protect against gentrification, area residents need more opportunities to purchase affordable housing not just rent them and let’s not even talk about how these units are ever rarely remotely affordable for the area residents where they are constructed.

With this groundbreaking, there are no longer any lots left of significant size in Melrose, an area once mostly vacant after the burnings where the population dropped from 25,000 to just over 3,000 between 1970 and 1980.

Let’s just hope that the folks in the neighborhood who rebuilt it can find stay and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

A new report from the Center for an Urban Future indicates that the artist population in The Bronx has nearly doubled since 2000 from just 1,524 to 2,920 in 2015.

Community Board 10 in the East Bronx, comprising of Throggs Neck, Co-op City, City Island to name a few, saw a 286% increase―by far the largest in The Bronx―from 165 in 2000 to 637 artists in 2015.

Although all talk has been on the South Bronx as being the “hot bed” of artists moving in as developers attempt to use artists as pawns in the gentrification scene, the area only saw a modest increase of 43% from 201 artists in 2000 to 288 in 2015 living in community boards 1 and 2 which cover Mott Haven, Melrose, Port Morris, and Hunts Point.

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Only Community Board 11, encompassing the Bronx neighborhoods of Morris Park, Van Nest, and Pelham Parkway, indicated a decrease in artists with a 10% drop during the same time period.

Overall, this growth in artist population in The Bronx follows the citywide trend which showed a 17.4% increase since 2000.

As prices continue to chase artists away from areas like Manhattan and Brooklyn, we can expect this number to continue to rise in The Bronx for those looking for more affordable housing.

As for any mentions of a “burgeoning” art scene in The Bronx, let’s not forget that artists have always lived here and the artistic community has been very active before the fires, during, and after-we never stopped creating.

You can read the full report here.

In 1968, horror movies were never the same after Bronx born and raised George A. Romero released his zombie classic, Night of the Living Dead. 

From that, the zombie genre has grown into one of the largest and most popular horror categories with recent shows such as The Walking Dead (a series he cared little about and actually snubbed after being asked to direct several episodes), video games (and movies) like Resident Evil and so much more. 

Earlier today George A Romero passed away at the age of 77 due to lung cancer. 

Romero leaves behind cult classic movies like the Night of the Living Dead franchise, Creepshow, Monkey Shines, Tales From the Darkside, and The Dark Half (based on Stephen King’s novel). 

As a child, I was obsessed with any films by Romero for it was Night of the Living Dead that truly put the scare in me making me a young fan of the horror and zombie genre. 

When I was much older and found out he was from The Bronx too, he became infinitely cooler in my eyes. 

It’s a bit ironic to wish Romero to rest in peace considering he’s the godfather of zombies but, hey, he’d appreciate it more than anyone. 

Located at 1060 Reverend James A Polite Avenue, these 26 units are located in a new 69 unit building in a development that will primarily house the formerly homeless, people with serious mental illness, chronic homelessness, disorders related to alcohol and or drug use.

These 26 units are not under that category but it should be noted that this is the expected population you will be applying to live with (the more you know).

12 studio apartments are available to individuals making anywhere from $26,229 to $33,400 with rents at $710 a month, 2 studio units for individuals making $31,440 to $40,080 renting for $862 and 12 two bedroom units for a 2-4 person household making $39,943 to $57,240 renting for $1,107.

The rents are well below market rates in the area but the catch is that you’ll have to fall within the income guidelines which is where many folks don’t make the cut.

To learn more, click here and to apply for the apartment just click here.

With all the plans for rezonings being shoved down our throats, starting with Jerome Avenue and certainly not least of all, the Southern Boulevard plan, we decided to take a look and see exactly what happened in one area of the South Bronx.

In 2009, a 30 block area of Mott Haven, known as the Lower Concourse, was rezoned to accommodate new residential development, skyscrapers along the waterfront on the Harlem River, condos and the likes in what was then mostly light industrial (and vacant), auto shops, and storage facilities.

Soon after, sales began increasing in the area.

From 2002-2008 right before the rezoning, sales in the area were modest with an average sales price of $1,322,047 and an average of $132 per square foot.

But once the rezoning took effect, prices increased 258.2% to an average of $4,735,390 selling at an average of $289 per square foot (a 118.94% increase) from 2010-2016 as speculators began buying up properties in the hopes of cashing in on the real estate boom that was heading into The Bronx (including properties purchased by Somerset and Chetrit who plan on developing 1,500 units in their isolated “Piano District”).

When a rezoning is announced, developers and landowners salivate like dogs, foaming at the mouth at the prospect of huge profit margins; properties and vacant land are sold at speculative prices way above market value.

In 2014, the first development within the rezoning area opened: Morris Court, an “affordable housing along Morris Avenue and E 144th Street, directly across from Lincoln Hospital, containing 201 units marketed towards individuals and families making anywhere from $28,595 to $90,700 a year―significantly higher than the actual median income of an area where 56.4% of families make under $24,999 a year.

Since then, a flurry of activity has risen within the zoning area and blocks along its periphery.

As of this writing, there are currently seven buildings under construction, including market rate condos on E 138th Street where the developer is hoping to get $399,000 for studios and upwards of $599,000 for two bedroom units.

This tally doesn’t include Somerset Partners and Chetrit Group’s 101 Lincoln Avenue demolition to pave way for their 1,300 units in roughly 7 buildings along the waterfront at the foot of the Third Avenue Bridge as groundbreaking still hasn’t occurred although the lots are being prepped as this is being written. (Note: These properties are within a block of the rezoning area).

Almost 2,000 units of housing are in various stages of construction whether demolition of former structures on proposed sites or almost completed buildings like 530 Exterior Street.

Of these units, more than half will be market-rate housing leaving out the overwhelming majority of area residents and creating a further divide of haves and have nots and a tale of two cities within a borough and a community long plagued by extreme poverty.

Our borough and The South Bronx is quickly changing and some would argue for the better but for myself and countless others, the question becomes, better for whom?

All of this is happening in what is still the poorest congressional district in the nation. The city is quick to implement changes that are transformative to the social and economic fabric of a neighborhood but does little to actually work towards changing the economic outcomes and futures of its current residents so that they too may prosper and be uplifted with the coming tide.

Explore the map below to see what’s going on in and around the Lower Concourse Rezoning Area, let us know if there’s something we missed and should be included.

Come on down to Starlight Park for a celebration of The Bronx River and River House this Saturday July 15th for a fun-filled day packed with activities from 2PM through 9:30PM!

Watch us race on the Bronx River as we paddle in 5k Canoe Challenge raising funds for The Bronx River Alliance who have been such excellent stewards of our beautiful river which is getting cleaner with each passing year!

There will also be tours of the Alliance’s new home, River House, so make sure sturdy, closed-toe shoes to check out this beautiful new structure along the river!

Live music will be Consumata with a dance performance by Angela’s Pulse, and there will be a movie night with a screening of Moana.

All of this is free and open to the public so bring your family to the Bronx River at Starlight Park this Saturday!

There are currently 4 housing lotteries open to apply for “affordable” housing in The Bronx with one of the deadlines approaching on July 17th so act fast to make the cut off as there are zero exceptions made to the guidelines.

Some of the units are actually affordable to area residents but they are extremely limited in numbers so the odds are quit slim in landing one if you qualify.

The properties are listed in order of deadlines and are as follows:

255 E 138th Street aka The Graham
Application Deadline: 07/17/2017 11:59PM

This 87 unit development in Mott Haven features studios renting from $368 a month to 3 bedroom apartments for $1,683 for qualifying incomes ranging from as low $14,503 for a household of 1 person to $110,700 for a 6 person household. Click for full details.

3475 Third Avenue aka La Casa del Mundo
Application Deadline: 08/02/2017 11:59PM

The 101 units at La Casa del Mundo in Morrisania has studios starting at $368 a month to 3 bedroom units for $1,224 for qualifying income ranges of $14,503 for a single family household on the low end to $66,420 for a family of 6 on the high end. Click for full details.

530 Exterior Street
Application Deadline: 08/18/2017 11:59PM

530 Exterior Street in Mott Haven has 124 units with studios going for $822 a month to 3 bedroom units for $1,224 for qualifying incomes of $30,069 for a single family household to $66,420 for a six person household. Click for full details.

2264 Morris Avenue
Application Deadline: 09/05/2017 11:59PM

This development does not feature studio units in the lottery, instead, the 62 units are 1 bedroom apartments starting at $882 to 3 bedroom apartments at $1,740 for qualifying families making $32,195 for a single family household to $110,700 for a 6 person household. Click for full details.

To apply online for any of these apartments, click here. If you do not have a profile in the system, you will be asked to do so.