Bronx Officials Reject Mayor’s Housing Plan

By DAVID CRUZ

Bronx officials have formally rejected Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to change zoning laws to help build 80,000 units of housing in the city, dealing a blow to the de Blasio Administration’s signature policy initiative. The unanimous 0-19 vote against de Blasio’s Housing New York proposal happened at the Nov. 19 Bronx Borough Board, a body made up of a cadre of chairs and district managers of community boards and the borough’s New York City Council Delegation. “I vote in the negative,” said Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., saying “one size does not fit all.” The $41 billion plan looks

By DAVID CRUZ

A 13-story, mixed-use residential high-rise with a twist is slated to go up near the mouth of the Kingsbridge Armory, the Norwood News has learned. Alan Bell of Bell Urban LLC and B&B Supportive LLC, is expected to build the site at 2700 Jerome Ave. for an estimated $59 million. Until recently the site was a defunct car wash and nightclub, which were now bulldozed. In all, 137 units for low to mid-income will be built, along with a mandated indoor garage at the barren block. Bell’s project is a rare one. With 15 percent of the units set aside

By ADEDAMOLA AGBOOLA

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposal to create more affordable housing for New Yorkers dubbed Housing New York might hit a bump as community boards, including Community Board 7, will vote for or against the plan. At issue with CB7, where its general board is expected to vote down the measure when it meets Nov. 17, is the loss of an in-house parking requirement for new buildings that could lead to increased demand for street parking. The rule would apply to neighborhoods falling under a so-called Transit Zone, where there’s ample public transportation for neighbors. In mid-October, CB7’s Land Use

As South Bronx groups wrangle with developers and politicians over the future of a neighborhood that’s made a comeback, a real estate tracking group is chronicling the neighborhoods’ rise in its skyline. It’s done so via RENTCafé, an apartment listing website that offers before and after slider windows of eleven plots of land, once either barren or housing a one-story property, now occupied by high-rise residential spaces. RENTCafé allows users to view a listing of available apartments across the country, including the Bronx, via property managers. It’s affiliated with Property Shark, a heavily used New York-based real estate website that profiles

To our faithful readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News is out and hitting the stands as we write, with plenty (and we do mean plenty) of community news you can use. We go to the epicenter of Norwood, Williamsbridge Oval Park, where football practice has to be cut short for one club that’s working on its plays without any adequate lights. Requests from club organizers have gone unchecked. Read how no lights is impacting their game. We also delve into a growing trend that’s happening across the Bronx: priced out commercial tenants. For rent signs are popping up

By DAVID CRUZ

In the decades since Tom opened his Kingsbridge business, things had always been profitable and quiet. That was until last year when his landlord denied him his regularly five-year lease extension. Tom asked his last name be kept confidential for fear of retribution from his landlord who’s dangled month-to-month lease over his head. “My future’s uncertain there,” said Tom. He’s since refocused his attention on kick starting his restaurant business in nearby Westchester County, where small businesses are welcomed, he noted. Along Kingsbridge Road, a commercial area home to small businesses, many stores have maintained a holding pattern as the

By JASMINE GOMEZ

When it comes to the 311 system, a look at Community Board 7’s list of gripes will tell you there are plenty of building issues to complain about. An analysis by the Norwood News, utilizing 311 data logged on or before Oct. 2, found the top category of logged complaints during the last week of September in Community Board 7 fell under Property and Buildings. The category of Public Safety, which catalogues hydrant issues, came in second. The Board, covering Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge and University Heights had a total 771 complaints. The 311 complaints listed were deemed opened or unresolved five days from the time the complaint

New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) is picking up some responsibilities normally handled by the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS), coming amid city’s booming homeless crisis. Participating in a panel at the CUNY School of Journalism’s Center for Community & Ethnic Media, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer revealed the HRA, a homeless prevention agency that provides social services to the impoverished, is now reviewing a number of unregistered contracts from homeless shelter providers. Stringer has remained a staunch critic of DHS, having rejected several DHS-approved contracts he deemed unworthy of city monies. His remarks suggested little

By VIVIAN CARTER

Vital Stats: 7K – Number of cyclists expected at Tour de Bronx (Source: Bronx Borough President’s Office) The borough’s biggest tourism event of the year is on the way, when more than 7,000 bicyclists will hit the borough’s streets. The 21st Annual Tour de Bronx is scheduled for Oct. 25. Established in 1994 by Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer and The Bronx Tourism Council as a way to promote health, eco-friendly transportation and tourism, the event is now a highly anticipated fall tradition in the region. Cyclists from the Bronx and beyond have a chance to meander through scenic neighborhoods, and pass by the borough’s