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Volume XX • Number 24 • June 13 - 19, 2013 •
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Construction begins on 230 St. mall th
By HAYDEE CAMACHO Twelve years ago, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and then newly elected Council Member Oliver Koppell met at the Land and Sea diner on Broadway and 230th Street to discuss ideas for economic development that could work in the empty lot across the street at the intersection of Kimberly Place. On Monday, June 10, 2013 that idea came to fruition as Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, along with a host of economic and local political and community leaders, broke ground on the highly anticipated Broadway Plaza Development. Developer Equity One plans to invest approximately $54 million to construct the 133,000 square foot, multi-tenant retail development. The two-story site will feature 130 covered parking spaces and is expected to create over 250 new full and part-time jobs and approximately 500 construction jobs. “We’re very pleased to be here,” said Jeffrey Olson, CEO of Equity One. “We believe that in this neighborhood we can create development that not only fills the void in terms of shopping opportunities but also creates significant economic development in the process. “ He thanked Diaz, Assemblyman Dinowitz, Congressman Engel, Council Member Koppell, as well as Marlene Cintron, President of the Bronx Overall Economic
Development Corporation and Robert Fanuzzi, Community Board 8 Chair for their help on the project. “I really look forward to opening Broadway Plaza in the fall of next year and we hope this is the first of many groundbreakings in the Bronx to come,” added Olson. A jubilant Diaz noted that crime is at its lowest since 1963 and Crain’s New York Business Magazine cited that the Bronx no longer holds the top position for unemployment in the state. “The fact of the matter is we’re safer, we’re creating jobs and we’re doing it in partnership in every corner of the borough. For that I’m proud to stand here today,” he said. “To Olson and Equity One I want to say thank you for investing in this borough.” Dinowitz recalled that he and Councilman Koppell had envisioned an economic corridor that would bring in development as well as jobs. The Target Mall at 225th Street was the first component of that plan, followed by BJs being constructed on the site of the old Stella Doro on 237th Street. Broadway Plaza Development faced starts and stops over the years. After evaluating seven developers, one was chosen. The project, however, remained dormant for over two years. The city received a small monetary restitution and then the project went out for bidding again.
Local officials and representatives of the developer symbolically break ground on 230th Street mall. The development will not only increase shopping options in the area but is attractive for its proximity to the 1 subway line and access to the Major Deegan Expresway which will increase travel to the site and bring in more foot traffic. But for area residents Jeffrey Dinowitz and Elliot Engel, shopping convenience
is a key advantage. “It’s wonderful to know that as a resident of Riverdale, I just have to roll out of bed and come down here and do some shopping,” said Engel. “One of the strengths of the Northwest Bronx is that all our elected officials work together and that is why this community is so strong.”
“It’s going to make a huge difference in our community,” said Dinowitz. “People like me who really hate going to Manhattan or Westchester will have greater opportunities right here in our own neighborhood. It’s so great to be here today and I’m looking forward to the ribbon cutting,” he said.
Hebrew Home will revise plans for new site on riverfront
By PAULETTE SCHNEIDER Community Board 8’s land use committee dealt with four routine agenda items during Monday evening’s peaceful meeting at the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale. Discussion was postponed on the Hebrew Home’s development of the recently acquired riverfront parcel just south of its original campus at 5901 Palisade Avenue. “We’ll be back in September with a different scheme that’s more dense on the north and less dense on the south,” Hebrew Home CEO Daniel Reingold said, referring to evolving plans for a new multi-building complex based on the continuing care retirement community model. The home has been adapting its plans in response to ongoing criticism from neighborhood groups. The Technical International Charter School at 3120 Corlear Avenue, a middle school that now has 130 students, asked for a zoning variance that would permit them to add classroom space for up to 300 students over the next two years. The school now occupies the first and third floors of a residential building with commercial space on the ground floor. It plans to take second-floor space and cellar space now used for accessory parking while leaving sufficient parking space for the building. Exhaust fumes from the parking areas, the inclusion
of special education students and the timing of the variance request were of some concern. An attorney representing the schools assured the committee that a special ventilation system would be installed to protect classrooms from car emissions. The school’s executive director explained that the school has a mandate to address poverty and to accommodate English language learners and those with special education needs. The school’s lack of a gym is handled by walking kids over to a local health club, and the absence of an auditorium is finessed by using a nearby church to hold school-wide assemblies, the committee learned. In response to questions by committee chair Charles Moerdler, who takes “a very strict view of the building code,” the building owner admitted that he knew of the school’s plans to request an increase in floor area ratio when he filed for a certificate of occupancy nearly a year ago. Moerdler’s concern was that the owner would gain a “windfall benefit” from the increased rental fees he’d yield with a higher floor area ratio than specified. When the owner readily agreed to sign an agreement stating he’d revert back to the originally specified amount of usable space should the school vacate, the committee was assured that the public interest would be served. They
approved the Technical International Charter School’s request, subject to the agreement. The College of Mount Saint Vincent needed authorizations to alter part of its property at 1000 West 261st Street. The plan to enlarge an athletic field there involves cutting down and replacing trees as well as modifying a steep slope within a designated special natural area district. College officials assured the committee that there would be “balanced cut and fill” to level the slope, that two thirds of the field is already level and that they will exceed their city-mandated “tree count” even after removing 56 trees and planting 26. Approval of the plan was unanimous, and Moerdler called the College of Mount Saint Vincent “a model citizen in the community” that has always been diligent in consulting with the board. Another good neighbor who won approval for his request was John E. Fitzgerald, developer of Chapel Farm Estates in the Fieldston area. He requested a building permit renewal because more time is needed for the completion of nine homes on the property—six are already built, and all are leased. In stark contrast, the developer of 5241 Independence Continued on Page 2