The Bronx

The City Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a plan to replace the Rikers Island complex with four new jails across the city. The plan, unveiled by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2017, would close Rikers by 2026 by moving inmates to new, smaller facilities in Lower Manhattan, the South Bronx, Downtown Brooklyn, and Kew Gardens. Despite disapproval from four community boards, three borough presidents, and criminal justice advocates, nine CPC members voted in favor of the plan, with three opposed and one abstained. The proposal will move to the City Council on Thursday for a public hearing.
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Lottery launches for 169 affordable units near Fordham University, from $475/month

Photo by Kristine Paulus on Flickr

August 29, 2019

Lottery launches for 169 affordable units near Fordham University, from $475/month

Applications are currently being accepted for 169 newly constructed affordable apartments in the Bronx neighborhood of Fordham Manor. Located at 2519 Creston Avenue just half mile from Fordham University's campus, the building sits on a corner overlooking St. James Park. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 50, 60, 80, 90, and 110 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from a $475/month studio to a $2,158/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Did you know the country’s only floating pool is in the Bronx?

Photo by Danny Avila for NYC Parks

August 2, 2019

Did you know the country’s only floating pool is in the Bronx?

By Nicole Mondrus

Although it's technically safe, you may not want to swim in the East River. Swimming on the East River, however, is an entirely different story. The Floating Pool Lady is not just a pool. It’s a floating pool located in a retrofitted barge that’s currently docked in Barretto Point Park in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx. Best of all, it's the only floating pool in the country.
Jump in

Architecture And Design

This weekend, take a trolley tour of the Bronx’s breweries with Woodlawn Cemetery

Photo via Bronx Brewery

July 31, 2019

This weekend, take a trolley tour of the Bronx’s breweries with Woodlawn Cemetery

By Nicole Mondrus

Tours of breweries in NYC are nothing new. But if you’re looking to shake things up, consider taking a tour of Bronx breweries that takes place on a trolley and starts at one of the largest cemeteries in the city. This Saturday, Woodlawn Cemetery, in partnership with the Bronx Historical Society, is offering a trolley tour that delves into the history behind the borough's beer-brewing legacy and takes guests into some of the Bronx’s newest breweries and beer halls.
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A Bronx street will be renamed in honor of comic book legend Stan Lee

Google Street View of Stan Lee’s childhood home at 1720 University Avenue in the Bronx

July 26, 2019

A Bronx street will be renamed in honor of comic book legend Stan Lee

Stan Lee—the comic book writer and Marvel publisher who brought us Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and the Fantastic Four among other classics—will soon be commemorated with a street naming in the Bronx. According to the New York Post, City Council voted this week to co-name University Avenue between Brandt Place and West 176th Street as “Stan Lee Way." The proposal was brought by City Council member Fernando Cabrera, who represents the area, and will become official as soon as the mayor signs it.
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Celebrities

Construction of affordable housing complex on former juvenile jail site in Hunts Point set to begin

Rendering courtesy of WXY Architecture + Urban Design and Body Lawson Associates

July 19, 2019

Construction of affordable housing complex on former juvenile jail site in Hunts Point set to begin

The first phase of a project that will bring more than 700 units of affordable housing to the Bronx neighborhood of Hunts Point will get underway in the coming weeks, developers announced Tuesday. Dubbed the Peninsula, the mixed-use complex will rise on the site of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, which closed in 2011 after the city recognized its awful conditions and treatment of children. The first phase, costing about $121.5 million, includes the construction of 183 affordable units by 2021.
Get the details

July 16, 2019

Citi Bike reveals new expansion plans that keep Queens, Bronx, Upper Manhattan waiting on wheels

Citi Bike has revealed details for the much-anticipated rollout of the popular bike share program with plans to double its reach with docks in the Bronx and more of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. But according to maps and information released in a Tuesday morning meeting obtained by Streetsblog, large swaths of the city won't see the blue bikes for four more years. As the NY Post reported, some see the Citi Bike rollout as heavily weighted toward more affluent NYC districts, which prompted a letter from several New York City Council members to the NYC Department of Transportation asking for assurance that expansion plans include low-income neighborhoods.
Where will the next blue bikes be?

Transit

328 new affordable apartments available at Compass III residences in the Bronx from $331/month

The larger Compass Residences via Dattner Architects

July 11, 2019

328 new affordable apartments available at Compass III residences in the Bronx from $331/month

The lottery has just launched for 328 newly-constructed Compass III residences at 1560 Boone Avenue, Crotona Park East and 101 East 173rd Street in Mount Hope, Bronx. In 2011 the West Farms Redevelopment Plan for the 17-acre, 11-block former industrial area in Crotona Park East by Dattner Architects became the largest Bronx rezoning ever passed. When complete, the complex will offer 1,325 units of affordable housing along with retail and community facilities. The new building's 328 units are available to households earning between 30 percent and 100 percent of the area median income, ranging from $331/month studios to $1,921/month three-bedrooms.
All the details

Affordable Housing

Yayoi Kusama’s polka-dot pumpkins are coming to the New York Botanical Garden

Kusama with Pumpkin, 2010 ©YAYOI KUSAMA. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo / Singapore / Shanghai; Victoria Miro, London; David Zwirner, New York

July 9, 2019

Yayoi Kusama’s polka-dot pumpkins are coming to the New York Botanical Garden

Over the next year, celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama will have a big moment in New York City. In addition to the forthcoming exhibition at David Zwirner Gallery this fall—which will include some of the artist’s insanely popular Infinity Rooms—the New York Botanical Garden has just revealed that its blockbuster 2020 exhibition will be dedicated to Kusama. The exclusive show will include a range of works, old and new, that shed light on the artist’s lifelong engagement with nature, including everything from her famous polka-dot pumpkins to her signature Infinity Rooms.
More information

Events & Things To Do

July 5, 2019

For $1.9M, this tranquil Tudor on the banks of the Hudson is surrounded by greenery and views

In a gorgeous wooded corner in the Bronx neighborhood of Spuyten Duyvil (just south of Riverdale on the banks of the Hudson River), this charming Tudor home at the aptly-named 3033 Scenic Place has breathtaking views from just about every corner. Asking $1.85 million, the four-bedroom home boasts the hand-crafted finishes often found in the area's classic Tudors including wood paneling and hand-hewn beams, while picture windows offer a front-row seat to the surrounding woodlands
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Live in an affordable Bronx building with a rooftop garden and greenhouse, from $883/month

Rendering of the Bedford Green House courtesy of Edelman Sultan Knox Wood/Architects LLP and Hollister Construction Services

June 21, 2019

Live in an affordable Bronx building with a rooftop garden and greenhouse, from $883/month

A Bronx affordable housing development with lots of green perks launched a lottery this week for 46 units. Dubbed the Bedford Green House, the 13-story building at 2865 Creston Avenue offers its residents unique amenities that center around healing through nature, a concept called biophilic design. Bedford Green House, located within the Bedford Park neighborhood, will have a rooftop aquaponics greenhouse where residents will be able to raise fish, grow fresh produce, and participate in healthy cooking demos. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from $883/month studios to a $1,148/month two-bedrooms.
Do you qualify?

Low-income senior housing lottery opens for 83 units at Perkins Eastman-designed building in Mott Haven

Rendering of Mill Brook Terrace courtesy of NYCHA

June 20, 2019

Low-income senior housing lottery opens for 83 units at Perkins Eastman-designed building in Mott Haven

By Dana Schulz

As 6sqft recently reported, "More than 17 percent of New Yorkers are over the age of 60." Recognizing the need to provide adequate affordable housing for this population, last year, the city committed $500 million to build 1,000 new apartments for low-income seniors. Though the plan has moved slower than hoped, there are new opportunities taking shape, such as this lottery for 83 low-income apartments in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. The one-bedroom units are available to one- or two-person households in which at least one member is 62 years of age or older, who qualify for NYCHA's Section 8 program, and who earn between $0 and $42,700 annually. Those who are eligible will pay 30 percent of their income to live in the building at 570 East 137th Street, a new project from Perkins Eastman.
Learn more here

Affordable Housing

New York Botanical Garden’s largest exhibit to date will honor Brazilian designer Roberto Burle Marx

Photo courtesy of The New York Botanical Garden

June 5, 2019

New York Botanical Garden’s largest exhibit to date will honor Brazilian designer Roberto Burle Marx

Brazilian modernist artist, landscape architect, and plant conservationist Roberto Burle Marx will be the subject of the latest exhibition at the New York Botanical Garden, opening on June 8. Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx will not only be NYBG's biggest exhibition ever, but it will also be the first to bring Burle Marx's horticultural visions to life in an immersive way. Alongside a gallery of his paintings, drawings, and textiles, visitors will also be able to walk through lush gardens inspired by his designs.
All the details

Events & Things To Do

Apply for 63 affordable studios at new La Central development in the Bronx for $650/month

Rendering of 626 Bergen via FXCollaborative

May 31, 2019

Apply for 63 affordable studios at new La Central development in the Bronx for $650/month

A new housing development in the Bronx launched a lottery this week for 63 studio apartments. Located in the South Bronx, the La Central complex will include five buildings with 992 units of mixed-income housing, a new 50,000-square-foot YMCA, a television studio, landscaped courtyard, and a skate park. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income (AMI) can apply for the $650/month studios.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

NYC Council considers turning mass gravesite on Hart Island into a city park

Photo of Hart Island via Flickr

May 31, 2019

NYC Council considers turning mass gravesite on Hart Island into a city park

One of the country's largest burial ground may become a city park. The New York City Council is considering making Hart Island, an island located off of the Bronx coast where roughly one million people have been buried since the Civil War, more accessible to visitors. Because the city's Department of Correction (DOC) currently maintains the site and hires inmates from Rikers Island to bury bodies there, access remains restricted. During a hearing Thursday, the City Council introduced a package of legislation aimed at improving Hart Island, including one bill that would transfer control of the land from the DOC to the city's parks department.
Get the details

Policy

This nitrogen ice cream parlor in the Bronx is a pastel-painted dream

All photos courtesy of Costas Picadas

May 1, 2019

This nitrogen ice cream parlor in the Bronx is a pastel-painted dream

Last December, Ice Scream opened at the Mall at Bay Plaza, giving the Bronx its first liquid nitrogen ice cream parlor. In addition to serving up futuristic frozen treats, the shop provides a fun and relaxing rest stop in between shopping. Founded by New Yorker Julien Albertini and Alina Pimkina, from Moscow, interior design firm Asthetíque specializes in luxury hospitality and residential design. Although developing a brand for a family business tailored to children was a totally new concept for Julien and Alina, the duo took on the design for Ice Scream and came up with a concept that "benefits society and makes peoples’ lives and businesses more beautiful and functional," according to the designers. Inspired by the 1980s Memphis design movement, Asthetíque has created a space for guests to have “plenty of Instagrammable moments.” From the ceiling's coordinated light show to the fun mantras written in neon script throughout the 24-seat store (ie: "Ice Scream is better than therapy" and "Count your sprinkles, not your problems"), Ice Scream's design not only provides a spot for families to make memories, but as a declaration that the "Bronx can contribute to the world of design." For its innovative and playful ice cream parlor design, Asthetíque was a winner in the 46th annual IIDA Interior Design Competition this year. Ahead, see inside the eye-catching ice cream parlor and hear from Julien and Alina on the brand development process.
Get the scoop on Ice Scream

April 29, 2019

The Bronx’s first independent bookstore is now open

On Saturday April 27, National Bookstore Day, the first independent bookstore in the Bronx–and currently the borough's only bookstore–held its grand opening bash. As Curbed reports, The Lit. Bar bookshop/wine bar at 131 Alexander Avenue in the Mott Haven neighborhood is a long-anticipated labor of love brought to life by Bronx native Noëlle Santos, who first saw a need when the borough's last bookstore, a Barnes & Noble, threatened to close. The Barnes & Noble closed in 2016 despite community efforts, but a dream was born.
Find out more about the new literary addition

City Living

The Doe Fund is redeveloping a former army reserve center in the Bronx into affordable housing for veterans

Photo via Wiki Commons

April 24, 2019

The Doe Fund is redeveloping a former army reserve center in the Bronx into affordable housing for veterans

The Doe Fund has announced plans to develop 90 new units of affordable housing in the Bronx on the site of the former Joseph A. Muller Army Reserve Center at 555 Nereid Avenue in Wakefield. The New York City-based nonprofit organization acquired the long-dormant structure in 2013 and has since worked with Wakefield residents to create a redevelopment plan that responds to the community’s needs. As a result, the site will be converted into 90 studio apartments, 54 of which will be reserved for formerly homeless veterans.
More info

Affordable Housing

Bronx Commons via Danois

April 12, 2019

South Bronx development with new music hall opens affordable housing lottery, units from $328/month

A lottery has officially opened for 288 newly-constructed units at the Bronx Commons development at 443 East 162 Street in the Melrose neighborhood in the South Bronx. In addition to the affordable apartments, the mixed-use development offers retail, a landscaped public plaza–and the 14,000 square foot, 250-seat Bronx Music Hall, a concert hall with rehearsal spaces and an outdoor performance and recreational space among other amenities.
Find out more, this way

Affordable Housing

April 11, 2019

10 historic sites to discover in Mott Haven, the Bronx’s first historic district

By Historic Districts Council

This post is part of a series by the Historic Districts Council, exploring the groups selected for their Six to Celebrate program, New York’s only targeted citywide list of preservation priorities. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first historic district designated by New York City in the Bronx. Mott Haven was designated in 1969 by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission for its architecture "representative of the best of the second half of the nineteenth century." Landmarks later designated the Mott Haven East Historic District and the Bertine Block Historic District, also in the neighborhood, in 1994. Designated the same year as the Greenwich Village Historic District, the Mott Haven Historic Districts Association is working to bring this historic neighborhood to the same level of local and national prominence as its Manhattan sibling. In honor of the 50th anniversary, the Association uncovered the story behind 10 historic sites in Mott Haven--from the ironworking factory that lent its name to the neighborhood to two incredibly intact stretches of rowhouses to an early piano factory.
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History

Archdiocese of New York reveals new affordable housing on the site of a former Bronx church

Photo courtesy of Magnusson Architecture + Planning

April 9, 2019

Archdiocese of New York reveals new affordable housing on the site of a former Bronx church

Magnusson Architecture + Planning (MAP) unveiled a new, mid-rise building known as St. Augustine Terrace that will provide 112 units of affordable housing for low-income families in the Bronx. The project was commissioned by the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York and is the first building in 50 years to be built on the site of a former church, what used to be St. Augustine’s Church in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx.
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Via Wikimedia

March 26, 2019

De Blasio’s plan for a borough-based jail system as Rikers replacement moves forward

Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to open four new jails as replacements for the Rikers Island complex has officially entered the public review process. The City Planning Commission on Tuesday certified the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure application from the city's corrections department to open new facilities in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens as part of the city's 10-year plan to close Rikers. The rubber stamp from the CPC comes after the project's draft environmental impact statement, which was released last week, found no significant adverse impacts.
Learn more here

Lottery opens for 149 units at amenity-packed new construction in the Bronx, from $462 a month

Rendering courtesy of The Wilfrid

March 21, 2019

Lottery opens for 149 units at amenity-packed new construction in the Bronx, from $462 a month

Rendering courtesy of The Wilfrid 149 affordable units are becoming available at a newly constructed building in the East Tremont neighborhood of the Bronx. Located at 4181 3rd Avenue and 1888 Bathgate Avenue, the rental building, known as The Wilfrid, offers an impressive menu of amenities including an on-site resident super, a virtual doorman, an outdoor terrace, a fitness room, a residents' lounge in each tower, laundry, parking and bicycle storage. Qualifying applicants earning 40, 50, 60, 90 and 110 percent of the area median income can apply for units that range from a $462/month studio to a $2,136/month three-bedroom.
Find out how to apply

Affordable Housing

223 mixed-income units available at new South Bronx rental, from $389/month

Rendering via L+M Development

March 14, 2019

223 mixed-income units available at new South Bronx rental, from $389/month

A housing lottery has just launched for 223 mixed-income apartments in the new South Bronx building located at 1520 Story Avenue, known as Story Avenue West. The rental building is one of two new structures at the site, part of the Lafayette-Boynton residential complex in the Soundview neighborhood, developed by Nelson Management Group and L+M Development Partners. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 30, 50, 60, 90 and 110 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from $389/month studios to $2,066/month three-bedrooms.
Find out how to apply

Affordable Housing

March 13, 2019

‘It’s the Bronx’ arts and culture festival aims to be the ‘SXSW of the Bronx’

The creators of The Bronx Night Market will soon be launching a grand festival dedicated to "celebrating Bronx hustle." The It's the Bronx (@itsthebronx) festival will take place on March 22-24 at the Union Crossing building in Port Morris, featuring up-and-coming musicians, visual artists, discussion panels, video screening, a gallery exhibit and street performances plus plenty to eat and drink.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

March 12, 2019

16-room Tudor beauty in the Bronx, complete with pond, asks $5.6M