Fordham Manor: Affordable Housing Lottery Launched, Deadline August 10

By SÍLE MOLONEY

An affordable housing lottery launched on July 22 for units at 2692 Creston Avenue, an eight-story residential building in Fordham Manor. Designed by Gerald J. Caliendo, the structure yields 19,111 square feet and 16 residential units. Available on NYC Housing Connect are four units for residents at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $63,429 to $167,570. as reported by YIMBY. Amenities include bike storage lockers, a recreation room, and a shared laundry room. Units include name-brand appliances and finishes, air conditioning, high-speed internet, energy-efficient appliances, and a patio or balcony.

Composting is Coming Back: Sign Up to Let the City Know You Want Free Curbside Composting

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has announced that curbside composting, put on hold during the height of the pandemic, as reported, is on the way back to many city residents! By composting, New Yorkers keep their neighborhoods clean, reduce waste being sent to landfills, create compost for City Parks, and produce clean, renewable energy to heat homes. While service was “automatic” in pre-pandemic times, residents interested in participating will now need to sign-up or express interest at nyc.gov/curbsidecomposting. The registration process will allow the DSNY to best understand who is most interested in participating in the program, and

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Three affordable housing units at 2265 Hughes Avenue, a seven-story residential building in Belmont, are still available to rent through New York City’s Department of Housing, Preservation & Development (HPD) housing lottery, as reported by YIMBY. Designed by John Saracco Architects, the structure yields 22,182 square feet and 16 residential units. Three two-bedroom units are available to rent for residents who earn 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $75,429 to $167,570. Amenities include solar panel energy, a shared laundry room, elevator, a recycling center, bike storage lockers, and assigned parking. Units come

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The next phase of development of a new affordable housing complex at 2856 Webster Avenue in the Bedford Park section of The Bronx is underway, as reported by YIMBY. As previously reported by Norwood News, the Bronx will introduce a sprawling new grocery store operated by Cherry Valley Marketplace. The retailer has committed to guidelines established under New York City’s Food Retail Expansion to Support Heath (FRESH) program, which promotes the establishment and retention of grocery stores that dedicate required selling space to fresh, perishable food items in underserved communities. Cherry Valley will continue to operate its existing

By DAVID GREENE

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Charlene McCray made a special appearance on Tuesday, June 29, at Destination Tomorrow, The Bronx’s LGBTQ+ Center, located on East 149th Street in the South Bronx, in celebration of Pride Month. McCray, the first speaker of the program, told a crowd of about 50, “This is really a wonderful day. As I look around at all of you, I feel hope, I feel possibilities, I feel dreams crackling in the air.” After watching a recent episode of the FX series “Pose,” McCray recalled, “During the show, I saw

UPDATE What Does the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act Mean for Bronxites?

By DAWN CLANCY

Considered a major win by progressives when it was passed by New York State legislators, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) was the subject of a virtual community discussion hosted by The Bronx Defenders on Tuesday, July 6, in conjunction with local Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 80). The purpose of the discussion was to explain to Bronxites what the new law means for them. According to its website, The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that is “radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the justice system and in doing so, transforming the

By SARAH HUFFMAN & MIRIAM QUIÑONES

The first, public edible garden in Norwood sits at one end of the Williamsbridge Oval park on Reservoir Oval East, next to the historic Keeper’s House. For Zoë Arcidiacono, a volunteer coordinator with Friends of Mosholu Parkland (FOMP), the garden became a haven during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she felt nurtured by the atmosphere which FOMP created around it. “I was volunteering a little before the pandemic, but I got laid off and this group has taught me so much,” Arcidiacono told Norwood News. “I moved to the Bronx four years ago. Before that, I was in Queens, and

By JEFFREY JACOMOWITZ

The ever so popular Clarence Duncan from the South Bronx turned 101 on July 9, happily celebrating yet another birthday milestone surrounded by his family at the Beth Abraham Center, in Allerton. Mr. Duncan arrived at the large 448-bed nursing and rehabilitation center just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City on March 27, 2020. Like so many other seniors, Mr. Duncan was unable to be around his family amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic while visitor restrictions were in force at care homes. Once families were, once again, able to intermingle with their loved ones and mark

By DAVID GREENE

Days after being called on by Brooklyn Borough President and Democratic mayoral nominee, Eric Adams, to visit the Bronx after a series of recent murders, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio stood with surviving family members, and joined Adams, Councilmember Vanessa Gibson and anti-violence advocates in demanding an end to the violence. The last minute “Stop the Violence” vigil was added to the mayor’s calendar late on Saturday, July 17, when he joined members of Bronx Connect / Release The Grip and Guns Down Life Up on College Avenue in Morrisania, across the street from where Billy Wynn,