The gentrification wars in the South Bronx have taken an interesting and pretty repulsive turn for the worse.
An exclusive Halloween party is being planned for the Harlem River waterfront right across from Mott Haven Bar and Grill by Somerset Partners and the Chetrit Group at one of their recent purchase where 3 of reportedly six 25 story residential market rate towers have been filed for with Department of Buildings for construction.
Several years ago, ‘Los Muros Hablan’ (Spanish for The Walls Speak) project came to El Barrio and The South Bronx by way of Puerto Rico thanks to City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito who brought this urban art project from San Juan to our neighborhoods.
This year, the project is called MONUMENTART and is bringing an eclectic mix of artists from around the world From Puerto Rico to Mexico to South Africa and even Argentina, these artists will be tackling the topic of immigration, especially as it pertains to our city as the capital of the world and destination for those from every corner of the globe, in their murals.
The 2nd outbreak of Legionnaires in The Bronx, which is centered in the East Bronx neighborhood of Morris Park has claimed its first victim as 13 are confirmed infected.
Although city officials claim that this isn’t related to New York City’s largest outbreak of Legionnaires in history that occurred this past summer in the South Bronx and claimed 13 lives and sickened hundreds, one has to wonder of that is truly the case.
In the first wave of construction in Melrose, over 3,000 units of “affordable” housing were constructed bringing thousands of new residents into the area and making the neighborhood the fastest growing neighborhood in The Bronx and 3rd fastest in New York City as per the 2010 census.
Now Melrose is experiencing its second wave of major construction as the last remaining parcels of what was once empty lots filled with the rubble of burnt out and abandoned buildings are being filled in with new affordable developments and even market-rate developments with over 2.1 million square feet of developments are in various phases of construction
Here comes the wave of generic, not-so-unique chains.
According to construction workers at The Melrose Building at 260 East 161st Street where a Starbucks just recently opened, the popular fast food chain Chipotle is coming.
Although we were unable to confirm this with the food chain or management at 260 East 161st Street, plenty of construction workers at the space confirmed that indeed Chipotle was coming to Melrose.
In a pro-gentrification piece written by The New York Times, it was announced by one of the developers of the three 25 story residential towers (of 6) planned for the South Bronx Harlem River waterfront, that 1 bedrooms would rent for a mind-blowing $3,750.
Barely a year since we reported properties on either side of the Third Avenue Bridge approach were purchased for obscene and speculative amounts, three of the lots have had recent plans filed for three 25 story residential towers which, if approved, will bring what appears to be 1,661 market rate units to the area.
largest Legionnaires’ outbreak in history which infected hundreds and killed 13 individuals in The South Bronx (including a teacher who worked in the area who passed away in April),Welcome2TheBronx has been insisting that the city tests our drinking water supply systems since study after study and the EPA and CDC clearly indicate that the majority of cases originate within such systems.
Now, two weeks after the outbreak was declared by Department of Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett as contained, the drinking water supply systems at one NYCHA building at Melrose Houses at 681 Courtlandt Avenue has tested positive for Legionella where 4 people have become ill including one before the “official” outbreak.
And then there was Starbucks, the harbinger of gentrification.
Melrose and the surrounding area is experiencing a boom in cafes.
Starbucks is gearing up to open its first official South Bronx location in Melrose on 161st Street at Concourse Village East/Morris Avenue at The Melrose Building in a neighborhood and corridor where two cafes are slated to open and The Bronx Museum’s XM Cafe (that will be serving up The Bronx’s own Morris Perk’s ‘Bronx Blend’) is opening any day now.
An article in City & State yesterday indicated that medical and health experts agree with exactly what Welcome2TheBronx has been saying since we first found out about the Legionnaires’outbreak in the South Bronx: The drinking water supply in the buildings of those infected should have been tested.
Welcome2TheBronx has been accused of spreading misinformation when we questioned the possibility of our drinking supply not being safe and the need for testing based on federal health and safety guidelines yet experts have come out saying it’s ridiculous that New York City Department of Health hasn’t done so.
The Banknote Building (which half of the building is leased by NYC’s HRA department serving people on public assistance), The Bronx Detective Bureau, Daughters of Jacob Nursing Home, and Department of Homeless Services Intake Center in The Bronx were found to have tested positive for Legionella as it has crossed over into East Harlem in Manhattan and found at Taino Towers as mandatory testing of cooling towers is now in effect.
According to Erin Clark of NY1 as per a press conference yesterday, there were 3 additional Legionella contaminated sites besides Bronx Housing Court and Bronx County Hall of Justice. The Bronx General Post Office, Samuel Gompers High School and another Verizon building have been identified as contaminated and since been disinfected. This is the first time that a school has tested positive for the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease which has infected over 100 and killed 10 not including a South Bronx teacher who died in April from the disease.
What do these buildings all have in common? Our drinking supply. Although our reservoirs may be fine and technically when New York City Department of Health tells us that our supply is safe, it does NOT mean that the systems of which it travels through is.
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