Major controversy surrounds the Cromwell-Jerome Neighborhood Study area and Crains New York just issued an article on it. The proposed 73 block study area was the topic of the recent 2nd Annual Bronx Gentrification Conference at the Bronx Documentary Center this past Saturday.
Neighborhood residents are fearful that city planning is coming in to upzone the area and push out long time residents as well as businesses.
A little over a year ago in December of 2013, the Bronx Documentary Center held its first ever Gentrification Conference (which received heavy media attention from NY1, Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, TimeOut New York, Gothamist, DNAinfo, and The Daily News.
During that first initial conference, we talked about the many issues and pending developments in The Bronx. Now this year’s conference will be solution-oriented focused on the issues surrounding the controversial topic.
Please note: SPACE IS LIMITED and you must purchase tickets in advance. If you are a Bronx resident and cannot purchase a ticket in advance, there will be a total of 15 tickets at the door exclusively for Bronx residents ONLY and will be available at a discount of $7. A valid ID showing your Bronx address must be presented so that we can ensure that these tickets go to Bronx residents ONLY.
Last week, we received notice that our borough was the least affordable rental market in the country. Many jumped the bandwagon with sensationalist headlines declaring The Bronx as the least affordable rental market in the nation without actually delving into how this came to be.
It’s definitely not because our “rent is too damn high,” but due to the fact that many of our residents barely earn enough to survive.
Bronx BP Disses Anarchists and Gives a New View on Gentrification – That was the headline that caught my eye.
I’m really no longer shocked that our borough president simply does not understand the word gentrification and what it means. It’s not the first time he’s tried to redefine the word.
According to the above article, CityLimits writes on how our BP doesn’t see gentrification for what it is:
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. doesn’t see it that way.
For him, new development—even of subsidized housing open only to people with relatively high incomes—is about retaining an incumbent population of professionals in the Bronx who now live in apartments that are cheaper than they need because they lack other options in the borough.
And it’s also about slapping “anarchists” around. At least that’s how Diaz pitched it to a room of housing advocates and developers at the New York Housing Conference’s annual symposium on Wednesday.
Just around the corner (literally) from 2417 Third Avenue — the loft building that is under contract for $31 million, 101 Lincoln has just sold for $32 million. This property sits across from Bruckner Bar and Grill Mott Haven Bar and Grill and according to the Real Deal the developer can build up to an 800,000 foot building on the site.
“While Mr. Auxier feels the neighborhood is poised to take off, Mr. Loyola said, “This is not going to be for hipsters. It will be more community-oriented, home-oriented.”
Could thousands of waterfront units along the South Bronx’s Lower Concourse Rezoning District reaching heights of up to 40 stories be far away? Picture gentrification of the South Bronx Citibikes, a Fairway market, cafes, high-tech and web design companies, bakers/caterers, artist work space, and professional/incubator space along the waterfront. Parks and esplanades tying commercial, residential (both affordable and market rate as well as supportive housing), retail all together.
If SoBRO and property owners in the district get their way, it can be what the future holds.
This week has been one for the books for the South Bronx. First we heard about the loft building at 2417 Third Avenue in Port Morris being under contract for $37 million, then we reported about the “Banksy” building being developed into market-rate rental apartments. Now we have 4 additional developments on the radar.
Last year, on October 21st, the infamous street artist known as Banksy struck in the Melrose neighborhood of The Bronx on E 153rd Street (just down the block from me) where Elton and 3rd Avenues meet prompting thousands of fans to trek to the area and catch a glimpse of his controversial ‘Ghetto 4 Life’ piece. The 4 story buildings have been vacant for decades (close to 30 years) with the exception of the retail spaces on the ground floor. Now the owner is beginning the process of converting the top 3 floors into market rate residential units.
The Real Deal just reported that the 175,000 square foot loft building 2417 Third Avenue — just a few hundred feet away from the Mott Haven Bar and Grill — is under contract for $31 million with Hornig Capital.
When real estate companies and developers begin to look at your neighborhood more and more intently we know that there is a big danger of gentrification creeping in. When investments begin to top $2 billion in The Bronx, that means we’re no longer the final frontier but things are already happening.
Welcome2TheBronx is one of 19 blogs who have provided anecdotal stories on gentrification creeping into their respective neighborhoods for a feature Curbed worked on for the 50th anniversary of the coining of the word ‘Gentrification’.
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