Jerome Avenue Rezoning Proposals Released; Admits Potential Residential & Employee Displacement

Against the wishes of the community, New York City Department of City Planning has released what their vision for the Jerome Avenue Corridor—a 73 block area—and what it should look like.

According to documents released, if the zoning is passed, it will lead to the potential creation of 3,250 units and adding approximately 10,000 more residents in an already dense area where basic services such as the subway system along the 4 line are strained and packed to capacity.

Thousands of residents have come out against the proposed zoning changes yet somehow City Planning states that “For more than a decade, residents and community stakeholders of the Southwest Bronx requested the City study the land use and zoning along the Jerome Avenue Corridor”.

City Planning also admits that the plan would displace under 500 residents but that “The Proposed Actions would not exceed the threshold of 500 displaced residents, and therefore, are not expected to result in significant adverse impacts due to direct residential displacement”

With regards to businesses being displaced, City Planning forsees over 100 employees displaced, most of which are the many autoshop workers along Jerome Avenue.

Although DCP will analyze the impact of displaced employees in the area, is it really work displacing hundreds of residents and employees in an area? We already know that once zoning changes are implemented, it will only be a matter of time before developers purchase these autoshops and begins construction on “affordable” residential buildings.

Check out the documents if you have time.

• Jerome Avenue Rezoning Environmental Assessment Statement
• Jerome Avenue Rezoning Draft Scope of Work for an Environmental Impact Statement