Saving Hunts Point From The Next Superstorm Sandy

Hunts Point, home to the largest food industrial distribution center in the world and home to thousands of residents, sits precariously on the coast as a peninsula within the Bronx peninsula.

It is, without a doubt, important that we protect our vulnerable coasts and the fact that Hunts Point also feeds most of the Northeast region of the country, it is in our best interest to do so.

This Tuesday, January 28th, The Point Community Development Corporation will hold a dinner discussion at 6:30PM inviting the community to help plan and protect the peninsula with PennDesign/OLIN design team as part of a competition of federal monies to implement such plans. The event is also sponsored by Sustainable South Bronx and NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.

Rebuild By Design is running the multistage regional competition process and has a dedicated page to the Hunts Point proposal where you can read more about it.

Paul Lipson, former Chief of Staff for Congressman José E Serrano and now currently president of Barretto Bay Strategies, LLC said that, “…this process is tied to a competition for tens of millions of federal dollars to protect the eastern seaboard and The Bronx shouldn’t be left out.”

As Bronxites, we know all too well that we often get left out but this isn’t one that we should sit on.

While the competition is great and puts together experts and residents to envision what they want and need for their areas, it falls short in that these communities have to compete with each other.

All these areas were affected by Superstorm Sandy and should receive the necessary funding needed. Perhaps we’d have the money if our government wasn’t throwing corporate subsidies worth billions at companies like FreshDirect and so many others.

With climate change a reality, we need to rally together and fight for our communities so please come out this Tuesday and be a part of the discussion AND solution.