By HAYLEY CAMACHO

The northwest Bronx has seen quite a batch of news stories that have gripped, intrigued and caused quite a stir during 2014. The Norwood News tracked many of these stories this year, and in some cases, broken them. As part of a yearly tradition, we look back at some of the top stories of 2014. 

Kingsbridge Armory

It’s the story that keeps on giving.

Legal troubles among the partners of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) plagued the Bronx’s major project since the

beginning of 2014, likely resulting in a delayed opening of the facility, originally slated for 2017.

In early spring, KNIC development partners Jonathan Richter, Jeff Spiritos and Marcos Wignell, filed a lawsuit against main developer Kevin Parker, to assume control of the $350 million project. Court papers stated that Richter and his colleagues volunteered their time presuming they’d be compensated with a partnership stake.

Parker countersued, claiming his former partners spoke out of turn when they expressed in a letter to the New York City Economic Development Corporation that Parker was too inexperienced to bring KNIC to fruition. The court eventually ruled the project was Parker’s alone.

Parker recently filed another lawsuit in Bronx Supreme Court on Dec. 15 charging that Richter and Wignell are holding privileged information they ultimately used to sabotage and assume control of the project. Parker is seeking at least $30 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

The legal infighting would cause the Kingsbridge Road Merchants Association to lose out on a $5,000 contribution by KNIC for the merchant group’s Unity in the Community street festival this past June to promote the area’s businesses.

In late summer, shopkeepers near the massive Armory also faced a rent increase as a result of the ice project. The new owner eventually scaled back the rate, which amounted to nearly double of what merchants were paying. One business owner would later move.

Supportive Housing

Fears over a swell of supportive housing projects along the re-zoned Webster Avenue corridor were finally quelled this year following the release of rent listings for 2979, 2985, and 2999 Webster Ave. The lists indicate that developers, The Stagg Group, a family-owned development firm, will indeed open a mixed-use apartment complex that caters to working and middle class tenants, squashing worries the group would build supportive housing.

The project is the first built following major rezoning in 2009, which requires new buildings along the corridor to include storefronts. The building is deemed a 421a site, requiring the developer reserve 20 percent of its apartments for affordable housing to qualify for city tax breaks.

A total of 122 apartment units are available–97 for market-rate units and 25 for affordable housing units. Over 22,000 people have applied for affordable housing through a lottery system.

The maximum market rate monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment will run $1,700 for a family of four. Studios and one-bedroom apartments run $1,250 and $1,500 respectively, with the same amenities.

In University Heights, Praxis Housing Initiatives laid out their plans for a supportive/affordable housing development at 2270 Loring Pl. for homeless HIV/AIDS residents with possible chemical dependency.

At their February meeting, Community Board 7 members expressed shock over the low number of units allotted for affordable apartments at 21 versus 59 for the supportive population.  Praxis later changed the allotment to 32 affordable units and 48 for supportive.

On Marion Avenue in Bedford Park, a 100-unit supportive housing/affordable housing site for homeless residents was announced. At the tip of Fordham, the Bowery Residents Committee announced plans to build a rare affordable housing/homeless shelter.

Political races

The race to unseat an incumbent played a large role during the primaries, with several races that kept politicos on the edge of

their seats.

In his battle against incumbent State Sen. Gustavo Rivera for the 33rd Senate race, challenger Fernando Cabrera, Councilman for the 14th District ultimately lost, garnering 36 percent of the vote against Rivera’s 55 percent. Cabrera still holds the Councilman seat for the 14th District, covering Fordham, Kingsbridge Heights, University Heights and Mount Hope.

In the 34th Senate District race, State Senator Jeff Klein emerged victorious over challenger Oliver Koppell, who had retired from 40 years in politics before launching a bid against Klein.  Money and power played a major role in the race for the 34th Senate District, which covers Morris Park, Throggs Neck, Hunts Point, Pelham Parkway a sliver of Bedford Park and Riverdale.

On the federal level, Congressman Charles Rangel, who represents a sliver of the northwest Bronx, won out against State Sen. Adriano Espaillat in a second bid against the storied legislator.

One of the more surprising races happened in the 86th Assembly District Democratic primary between incumbent Victor Pichardo and challenger Hector Ramirez. A count of all paper ballots resulted in a mere two-vote win of 1,888 votes for Pichardo to Ramirez’s 1,886 votes.

As we close 2014, the Norwood News is looking forward to 2015 and the many twists and turns the year will likely bring.

admin

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.