Hunts Point Express – Panel debates business’ environmental impacts

From The Hunts Point Express:

“City should prioritize local health concerns, say advocates

More employment opportunities are needed in the area, but how those jobs are created should have minimal harm on the environment, said Kellie Terry, executive director of The Point Community Development Corporation during a panel hosted by the Center for Bronx Nonprofits at Hostos Community College. The city should reform its zoning and land review processes so that businesses are required to perform environmental impact analyses of their operations before city agencies approve applications, she said.

“We need to reimagine our environmental process,” Terry said. “The issue is complex, but it’s not beyond fixing.”

Elected officials cannot address the employment needs of the South Bronx without also tackling how proposed projects will affect the environment, the panelists said. The increase in available quality jobs should not come at the expense of residents’ health, they said.

“Politicians should be responsible for the lives of the people in the community,” said Mychal Johnson, a founding member of grassroots coalition South Bronx Unite. “We can’t change the dynamic after the deal is done.”

The impending FreshDirect relocation to the South Bronx is a project that will bring jobs but hurt residents, Johnson said. The city gave the food delivery company the green light to move its distribution hub, which broke ground in December, to Port Morris from Long Island City before the community could weigh in on its potential environmental impact, he added.

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