Latest Edition of the Norwood News Is Out!

Hello readers! As usual, as promised, and right on time–the latest edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of Bronx community news for you to share. This week the paper heads to Bedford Park for a proposal by the New York Botanical Garden to convert its large space into a multi-used site, with the possibility of a hotel added to the fold. Only residents worry any new development could knock out the existing supermarket. Find out what one top official from NYBG has to say about that. We move from one development to another in Kingsbridge–the Kingsbridge National Ice

By DAVID GREENE

Residents and visitors to Jerome Avenue in Norwood were both shocked and saddened by the sudden closure of the local McDonald’s restaurant in early January, closing the book on a business with plenty of neighborhood history. It was on Friday, Jan. 8, when longtime resident Evelyn Perez noticed the establishment’s sign was gone and the doors were locked of the once thriving business. Outside stood a handwritten sign reading, “No Food, Closed.” Alice Kulick, the property owner and chair of the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District (JGH-BID), said at a recent JGH-BID meeting that the restaurant owner “just closed up.”

By JASMINE GOMEZ

When one car door closes, another one opens. At least this was the case for one Norwood pastor who received a car donation from a Fordham dealership after his van was stolen. The 1997 Dodge minivan belonging to Pastor James Miller of the Good News Christian Church was filched from a parking spot near Reservoir Oval West on about Jan. 12. The van was special because it was not only Miller’s personal van, but it was also used for his parish’s work that included charity missions such as coat drives and shuttling people to and from church. Parishioners and friends

Young Public Servant Dons CB7 District Manager’s Cap

By DAVID CRUZ

Even before Andrew Sandler was to officially become the new district manager for Community Board 7, his schedule was beset with meetings focusing on issues impacting the neighborhoods CB7 covers. “I’m meeting, reading, and going to meetings,” said Sandler, 29, who begins his first day as DM on Feb. 8. He represents the fourth district manager at the Board since 2012. It’s been a non-stop lead up to the job essentially tied to keeping the pulse of the Board’s coverage area, namely Norwood, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge Heights, Fordham and University Heights. He’s been doing his homework so far, even reading

By DAVID CRUZ

Something’s fishy at a mailbox near you. The 52nd Precinct is hoping to catch a couple of so-called “fishers” targeting mailboxes in Bedford Park and Norwood. “Fishers” get their name after feeding a bottle affixed with an adhesive and shoestring into a street mailbox. The glue works to hook any piece of mail that’s fished out of the box, allowing thieves to sift through letters filled with gift cards or personal checks that are later altered and cashed. “We’ve had an increase in grand larcenies when it comes to people mailing their checks,” said Inspector Nilda Hofmann, the 52nd Precinct’s

By DAVID CRUZ

The Bronx’s commercial landscape is becoming home to a growing number of chains across the borough, according to a recent report by a New York City-based think tank. But while some stores have firmly placed their commercial footprint in the Bronx, other establishments are leaving it altogether. The Center for an Urban Future, a nonprofit research group, reports that the presence of national retailers – defined as a retailer having at least two locations in New York City and at least one location in another state – rose by three percent, or 30 stores in the Bronx last year, the

By DAVID CRUZ

In the last days of December, New York City Council members Andrew Cohen and Ritchie Torres toured Webster Avenue with a burning question in mind: What will it take to spur more commercial development along the avenue? It has been seven years since a major push by community stakeholders ultimately resulted in the official rezoning of eighty blocks of Webster Avenue between E. Gun Hill Road and Fordham Road, considered a key but underutilized artery of the Bronx. New zoning laws in effect on Webster Avenue offer tax credits to developers who build affordable housing with a first floor storefront.

The Norwood News braved the temperatures during one of the biggest snowstorms the borough has seen in some time. Check out the pictures from David Greene. [URIS id=20130]

More Senior Housing to Abut Serviam Gardens

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

New units of senior housing are coming to Bedford Park on the grounds of Mount St. Ursula, abutting the Serviam Gardens senior facility, to address the growing need of affordable housing for the elderly. Once complete, the impending Serviam Heights will add 195 new affordable units of housing to the neighborhood. A new, nine-story tower is planned for 2848 Bainbridge Ave., just north of Serviam Gardens and Serviam Towers. The project will also rehabilitate the convent on the grounds to include apartments, while crews will repurpose the chapel into a senior center. John M. Reilly, the executive director of Fordham