Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 26

The first ever "Savor the Bronx" restaurant week from Nov. 1 to Nov. 13 will feature 20 percent discounts at participating restaurants and more.

A massive West Farms development project is moving closer to reality as the properties on which it will sit have been rezoned by the City Council. The mixed-use project will include 1,300 units (half of them affordable housing) and 46,000 square feet of retail space. It straddles both sides of the Cross Bronx Expressway. The Tremont Tribune reported on planning for the development back in June. Former Council Speaker Gifford Miller is a partner in the development firm, Signature Properties. More coverage here and here.

The Grand Concourse, from 153rd Street to 167th Street, was designated as a historic district by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission yesterday. More history of the century-old thoroughfare here.

Trash output is down all over the city, except the Bronx. (Story is worth checking out for the lede alone:-)

A new species of bat is named for researcher at the Bronx Zoo.

The new Marion Avenue Neighborhood Association formed after a wild gun battled earlier this month on Oct. 9.

Bronx hip-hop duo Rebel Diaz performs their "We're the 99 percent" rap for Democracy Now!

Occupiers and Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition activists merged agendas on Saturday. Norwood News has the story.

Bronx Events: Kids Movie Night at Bronx River Park

It's finally not raining out! In honor of that, head over to Bronx River Park tonight (one of the borough's loveliest parks, in my opinion--it has its own waterfall!) and catch an outdoor screening of the movie "How to Train Your Dragon," starting at 8 p.m.

The film is being shown as part of the Bronx River Arts Center's Movie Nights in West Farms series, sponsored by Councilman Joel Rivera. Bring your own blankets and chairs. Questions? Call 718 430 4665 or go to www.bronxriver.org

Lots of other cool stuff--health fairs, farmers markets, business information sessions--happening in the borough this week. Check out our community calendar below for more.

Editor's note: What did we miss? Send details to bronxnewsnetwork[at]gmail.com.

Bronx Crime Watch: Police Search for West Farms Boy

By David Greene

Police are asking the public's help in locating a missing child, who disappeared from his home on Honeywell Avenue in the West Farms section.

Reakwon Marshall, 11, was last seen at his home at 2103 Honeywell Ave., at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, August 10. Marshall is 4' 11'' and weighs 115 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt and black jeans.

Anyone with any information on his whereabouts are asked to call CrimeStoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS.

City Officials Mark Affordable Housing 'Milestone' in the Bronx

This affordable housing development in West Farms Square is one
of thousands that was financed this year by the city. (Photo: Jeanmarie Evelly)

Bloomberg administration officials gathered in the courtyard of a West Farms apartment complex this morning to celebrate what they say has been a landmark year for the city's affordable housing stock.

Officials announced that the city is ahead of schedule in Mayor Bloomberg's New Housing Marketplace Plan, which aims to "create and preserve 165,000 units of affordable housing by the end of 2014."

The number of units financed in the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, puts the city three-quarters of the way towards hitting that goal number, a fact hailed by officials as a major accomplishment in light of the recession and the budget restraints of the last few years.

Bronx News Roundup, July 19

Weather: keep the sunblock handy and the AC cranked on--another hot and sunny one today, with temperatures in the low-90s. The heat will continue through the rest of the week, hitting a peak on Friday.

Story of the Day: Former Council Speaker Turns Bronx Builder
Today's Wall Street Journal takes a closer look at Gifford Miller, a former City Council speaker and one-time mayoral hopeful who, according to the story, "has no interest in ever returning to politics." His new career path--real estate--has brought him to the Bronx, where his firm is attempting to rezone a swath of land  in West Farms/Crotona Park to build a massive affordable housing complex.

We wrote about the $400 million project, which will consist of 10 high-rise buildings around the Cross Bronx and Sheridan Expressways, in the June issue of the Tremont Tribune, and some readers seemed wary of the plan. Read more here. 

Quick Hits:
The family of a 13-year-old Bronx girl say they will sue the Department of Education, claiming the girl was repeatedly raped by a computer repairman employed at her Harlem school.

West Farms Residents Get Free Home Makeovers

Editor's Note: This article was first published in the June edition of the Tremont Tribune, out now.

Volunteers from Rebuilding Together NYC repair homes on Bronx Park Avenue and East 178th Street, part of the nonprofit’s “Neighborhood Rebuilding Day.” (Photo by F.G. Pinto)

By FAUSTO GIOVANNY PINTO

They came in the early morning in droves brandishing tool belts, saws and a dumpster. Before most people were up they were busy hammering, painting, and repairing in an all-day extreme remodeling session.

Group Plans Massive Housing Complex for West Farms Road

Editor's Note: This story first appeared in the latest issue of the Tremont Tribune, out now.

A development group is proposing to build a series of high-rise apartment buildings and retail shops in West Farms and Crotona Park East, in what the city is calling one of the largest private rezoning projects undertaken in the Bronx for several decades.

Signature Urban Properties, a real estate group headed by former New York City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, purchased the five-acre site, which runs along West Farms Road and the Sheridan Expressway and north and south of the Cross Bronx Expressway.

The group has requested that the city rezone the 11-block area to allow for residential development in order to construct 10 buildings, each approximately 15 stories high made up of 1,325 apartment units, 663 of which would be affordable housing.

Bronx River Art Center Wins Two Design Awards

Design plans for the Bronx River Art Center's $8 million renovation (photo courtesy of BRAC)

The Bronx River Art Center was recently awarded two separate "pre-build" awards, honoring design plans (see photo) for the gallery's $8 million, two-year makeover that began this fall at the West Farms building on Boston Road and E. 179th Street.

The designs, by architects Sage and Coombe and designer Tattfoo Tan, scored a 2010 “Award for Design Excellence” from the New York City Design Commission and a 2011 Merit Award from the American Institute of Architects.

BRAC spent the last six years fund raising to renovate the 100-year-old building. They expect to break ground on the new one this summer. In the meantime, art classes, exhibits and other programs are being held at various guest sites throughout the Bronx until construction is finished.

Liquor Authority’s Mistake Paves Way for Bikini Bar

Community leaders are fuming over The Luxury Box,  a new bikini bar in West Farms (Photo by F. Pinto) 

Editor's note: this article first appeared in the latest issue of the Tremont Tribune, which is on the streets and online now.

By FAUSTO GIOVANNY PINTO

The Luxury Box Sports Bar and Cabaret, a bikini bar that recently opened at 1101 E. 177th St., received its liquor license even after Community Board 6 sent a letter of disapproval, a mistake the Liquor Authority acknowledges.

“We didn’t recommend this,” said Ivine Galarza, Community Board 6’s district manager. “We don’t want this type of place next to a residential building.”

In a statement, the Liquor Authority admitted it screwed up. Even though they received the Board’s letter, it wasn’t scanned into the file, spokesman William Crowley said.

While community board approval is not needed to obtain a liquor license, a letter of disapproval would have sent The Luxury Box’s application before a three-member panel — and those letters weigh heavily on the board’s decision.

Residents Split Over Phipps’ Housing Plan

This lot, at East Tremont Avenue and Lebanon Street, is the proposed site of a controversial affordable housing project. (Photo by J. Evelly)

Editor's note: This article first appeared in the December issue of the Tremont Tribune, which is on the streets and online now.

By JEANMARIE EVELLY

A not-for-profit developer’s plans to build three affordable housing complexes in the West Farms neighborhood has upset a number of residents who live nearby.

The project, approved by Community Board 6 at a tense public hearing on Dec. 8, is planned for lots on both sides of East Tremont Avenue, bordered by East 178th and Lebanon streets, on what was once the site of train tracks owned by the MTA—steel trestles still sit on the property’s overgrown grass lot.

Phipps Houses, the developer, is one of the city’s largest affordable housing owners. Its affiliate group, Phipps Community Development Corporation, runs a number of social service programs in the immediate area, like GED courses and career training.

The proposed developments have pitted nearby homeowners, who are worried about an influx of new neighbors and the buildings’ heights—eight to 10 stories—against other community members who praise the organization for its work in the neighborhood.

“I know Phipps. I’m a product of Phipps,” said Sandra Carter, who said she lived in another Phipps-owned building. “They develop the community. They’re good for people. If they don’t get the application, someone else will, and we’ll get some shelter. We have enough of that here—we need affordable housing.”

But a group of homeowners adamantly opposed the plan, saying that the proposed 141 affordable housing units will decrease their property values and add to already serious litter and crime problems around their homes.

“With more units comes more people, and with more people comes more crime,” said Stefan Leonard, who lives on nearby Bronx Park Avenue.

Nominate a Bronx Youth Leader in CB6!

Community Board 6 is inviting the public to submit the names and biographies of community-minded youths to be considered for nomination to the New York Yankee Community Council Youth Leadership Corp--an annual award doled out by the Yankees to five young people in the Bronx who have volunteered their time to civic activities and worked to make their communities better.

Awardees will receive a $750 stipend. To be considered for nomination by CB6, the young person must meet the following criteria:

• Live in the boundaries of Community Board #6, which encompasses Bathgate, Belmont, Bronx Park South, East Tremont, Crotona Park North and West Farms
• Be no older than 18
• Have a history of involvement in civic activities and helping to improve their community
• Willing to commit to working with Bronx CB6 in the preparation of its June anti-violence talent show

 The nomination form is below, and should be returned to CB6 by the Friday, Nov. 5 deadline to: 1932 Arthur Ave., or to brxcb6@optonline.net, or faxed to 718-579-6875.

Nomination Form

West Farms Library Closed Until November

The West Farms branch of the New York Public Library, at 2085 Honeywell Ave. (between E. 179th and 180th Streets), is being closed for four months while construction crews replace all of the building's windows, according to a library spokesman. The current windows are "old and not energy-efficient," he said.

The local branch shut down July 1 and won't open its doors again until Monday, Nov. 1. In the meantime, patrons can pick up items at the Tremont Branch, at 1866 Washington Ave., which will be housing the library's reserve collection. They can also use the nearby Belmont Library, located at 610 E. 186th St. 

New from the Tremont Tribune

The September edition of the Tremont Tribune just hit the streets and is online now. A quick peek at what's inside:

Tenants in Belmont's Fordham Towers endured rats, broken elevators, and on-and-off heat and hot water after their building was bought by private investors in 2007. Now the building is in foreclosure - and housing advocates predict a wave of foreclosures among Bronx buildings bought in recent years by private equity funds who paid sky-high prices.

Arthur Avenue flaunted its food at the annual Ferragosto festival, and even Mayor Bloomberg stopped by for a taste.

The Bronx River Art Center recently filled the hole in the heart of West Farms Square - with an abstract sculpture conceived as a defense of New York City.

State Sen. Ruben Diaz is up in arms...over algae in Indian Lake.

Questions for Ivine Galarza, Community Board 6's longtime District Manager.

St. Barnabas Hospital renames an emergency room after an EMT who died on 9/11.

PLUS our monthly listing of community announcements and events, news briefs, political coverage, and more.