A proposal to rezone 73 blocks of Jerome Avenue in The Bronx has passed the Land Use Committee, putting the plan another step closer to realization. The City Council will vote on the matter March 21st, where it is expected to pass. This comes as part of the Mayor’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) program. If the rezoing is approved as expected, roughly 4,600 new apartments could be created, with 1,150 expected to be occupied as affordable housing.
Example of R7-A Jerome Avenue at CrossBronx
The proposal has long been in the works, and has created with some in the community. While nearly 35,575 square feet of retail could result from the rezoning, it will also displace roughly 146,000 square feet of auto shops, warehouses, and garages, according to analysis from the Department of City Planning.
Burnside Avenue at Jerome Avenue
Melissa Grace, a spokesperson for City Hall, said of the project, “The Jerome Avenue Neighborhood Plan invests in communities that have never before gotten a fair shake. We’ll make major investments in protecting and building affordable housing, fixing streets, building new schools and improving parks.”
The administration predicts the market will allow for all housing in the neighborhood to be sold at affordable rates. They also predict that 40 percent of new housing developments will be locked as permanently affordable, combining the forces for MIH and City financing programs.
Jerome Avenue at Cromwell Avenue
The city has also committed $189 million for parks and public spaces, including schools, unspecified transportation upgrades, and new bus light bulbs.
Proposed Zoning for Jerome Avenue
The map provided of the neighborhood shows the proposed zoning areas that might be applied. The R7A zoning would allow for the development of residential buildings with a height of 65 to 75 feet. R8A zoning allows for a residential building with a maximum FAR of 6.02, rising no higher than 120 feet. R9A zoning allows for a residential building with a maximum FAR of 7.52, capping off at 145 feet on wide streets, and 135 feet on narrow streets. C4-4D will apply to commercial buildings, allowing for a FAR of 4, and not requiring any parking spaces. It will also require that new projects maintain the street-wall continuity, and a congruent relationship with neighboring buildings.
Corporal Fischer Park
The rezoning is expected to be different from the last two in The Bronx. YIMBY reported on this in 2015, when the plans for Jerome Avenue were first announced. One planner who works with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development pointed out that the last Two South Bronx areas rezoned in 2009, Lower Grand Concourse and River Avenue – 161st Street, have only seen one new residential project each. He added that the Jerome Avenue process could help since it involved the community more than City Planning had in the past.
In any case, the plans for Jerome Avenue appear ready to clear the final hurdles of red tape for implementation.
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I understand that there was significant community opposition to the re-zoning.
People are worried about affordability, but delaying/stopping this plan wouldn’t make a difference in reality.
Those that are not going to be priced out as prices continue to rise in the Bronx will benefit from a substantially better urban experience. Jerome Ave is currently horrible, and I’m looking forward to a dense/mixed use/transit-oriented community in its wake.
I attended the meeting at Bronx Community college. It seemed like most just wanted to be included and not run out of the neighborhood. They want more transportation and contruction jobs for area residents. Among other things.
And more schools to handle all the new kids.
jerome ave under the el is remarkably dark. hard to see anything but affordable housing there.
The rezoning will maintain the streetwall on Jerome Ave but require buildings to set back some to allow for more light penetration. Right now, definitely affordable housing but in the not too distant future, this will be a very popular community. Very convenient to Midtown.
With this developer tax charade, they have been trying to tear down actual homes that people spent decades paying for or are paying for. The dream of having a home in these parts of the Bronx is being eradicated. The developers come to the houses, try and get into the homes and offer the lowest price possible to the home owners to get everyone out and tear down the houses. The city is a toady to the developers, lowering the property values of all these area homes last year (2016 tax year) to lessen their value and “urge” hardworking homeowners to sell low (by coming door to door, mind you, and telling people they don’t need a lawyer) so that they can tear down entire blocks of homes. They are bullies, and this facade of building affordable housing is all for the developer profits and the city giving them tax breaks. There are more than enough apartments in New York in all the boroughs. But the sky high price of rent that landlords must charge (think property taxes and winter fuel costs alone) make for everyone unhappy all around, except for developers and politicians who profit.
Very few, if any, houses within the rezoned area. Almost entirely single-floor automotive/commercial, parking lots, and vacant lots.
In a decade or so Jerome Ave is going to be a much better corridor to live on or near.
When tax money is used to build these projects along Jerome Avenue, let’s pay the construction workers an Area Standard Wage & Benefit Package.