Bronx Metro-North Station Area Plan Reaches Approval From New York City Council

Sketch of new Morris Park Station, courtesy of New York CitySketch of new Morris Park Station, courtesy of New York City

The New York City Council has officially approved the Bronx Metro-North Station Area Plan, the first neighborhood plan certified and approved under Mayor Eric Adams’ administration. The plan is designed to accompany four new Metro-North stations coming to the Bronx in 2027 and is expected to create approximately 7,000 homes, including permanently income-restricted affordable housing, and 10,000 permanent jobs, along with improved public spaces and enhanced access to mass transit.

The plan allows residential uses in sections of Parkchester/Van Nest currently designated for commercial and manufacturing and expands the amount of housing allowed in residential districts of both Parkchester/Van Nest and Morris Park. It also aims to strengthen commercial corridors and support the growth of prominent local institutions and job centers, such as Calvary Hospital, Hutchinson Metro Center, Jacobi Medical Center, and Montefiore Hospital.

Location of new Morris Park Station. Via nyc.gov

Location of new Morris Park Station. Via nyc.gov

In addition to housing and jobs, the plan includes investments in public amenities and infrastructure. Investments include park renovations, school facility upgrades, and drainage infrastructure upgrades to enhance public space, transportation access, and public safety.

The plan’s approval follows over six years of public collaboration, including workshops, surveys, meetings, and input from local elected officials, community stakeholders, and government agencies. The Bronx Metro-North Station Area Plan is part of the Adams administration’s broader efforts to address the city’s housing crisis, which include the “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” proposal and other neighborhood plans across the city.

Location of new Parkchester/Van Nest Station. Via nyc.gov

Location of new Parkchester/Van Nest Station. Via nyc.gov

“On behalf of the Bronx business community, we commend the City Council on the approval of the Bronx Metro-North Station Area Plan,” said Lisa Sorin, president of Bronx Chamber of Commerce. “This groundbreaking initiative will benefit our borough by not only creating thousands of new jobs and improving transit access for commuters, but also infusing the East Bronx with much-needed housing units as well as community resources and public space enhancements within adjacent corridors.”

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10 Comments on "Bronx Metro-North Station Area Plan Reaches Approval From New York City Council"

  1. David of Flushing | August 18, 2024 at 7:49 am | Reply

    The “10,000 permanent jobs” sounds a bit wishful thinking. I worked near the site of the Morris Park station for nearly 40 years and I do not see the medical facilities expanding just because of a new station. It might reduce the use of the express bus that runs to 5th Ave., Manhattan, provided one is going to the Grand Central area.

    The Hutchinson Metro Center was originally a children’s facility on the grounds of Bronx State Hospital. It was an award-winning silver structure of striking design. Eventually, it was closed and sold to a party that replaced the exterior with a far less interesting appearance.

    • The medical facilities have publicly acknowledged desired expansion as a result of the new Metro North station.

      • Correct. They also said they want to build r&d facilities at the Hutch (and another hotel like the Marriott that is already there and doing well). The developers also asked the state to build a direct entrance ramp from the parkway into the complex as well

    • The Hutchinson Metro Center currently has 8K people working there. They announced plans to double to size of the complex once the station is operational. So that stands to reason approximately another 8K. Montefiore stated they are going to expand too. That’s not to mention ancillary businesses that will pop up once all the residential is built and 10K is absolutely reasonable . When the Hutch Metro Center was built you probably thought they would never reach the numbers they have now.

  2. David of Flushing | August 18, 2024 at 5:54 pm | Reply

    I cannot imagine why a patient would leave Manhattan for the Bronx given the superior medical facilities there. Einstein College of Medicine was recently put on accreditation probation.

    • Einstein College of Medicine is one institution at that location. Medical tends to agglomerate. Montefiori desires to work with partners to expand in that area. It makes sense with the new Metro North Station and room to expand.

  3. David of Flushing | August 19, 2024 at 8:04 am | Reply

    Einstein was built in that location so its students could train in Jacobi Hospital. Also, Jacobi had trouble attracting physicians and had an affiliation contract with the medical school to obtain staff. This arrangement ended some time ago. Yeshiva University dumped the medical school as it was claimed to be losing money and Montefiore, which had been hired to operate the college hospital, now Weiler, took over the school. Montefiore has been absorbing hospitals in the Bronx and Westchester. They obtained properties on the other side of the tracks on Eastchester Road to the south (formerly the site of a station) and converted the auto repair businesses into outpatient facilities and labs.

    • That is complete false what you said about the school. Yeshiva University had to give up Einstein because they lost billions of their endowment with Bernie Madoff. Montefiore was flush with cash so took it over. Montiefiore is one of the top hospitals in the region (which is why it is taking over suburban hospitals) and Einstein is in the top 100 medical schools in the nation. There is a reason they just received a $1billion gift. Failing universities don’t get gifts like that. They also are high up on attracting NIH funding. Seems you have an axe to grind with them for some reason. But you shouldn’t say false things

  4. David of Flushing | August 19, 2024 at 2:33 pm | Reply

    I worked at Einstein/Montefiore for 40 years from 1968. There was always conflict between Yeshiva and the medical school with the feeling that too much grant money was going to the wrong place. I am aware of the Madoff scandal even though I was retired by that point. When the school was sold, this was not mentioned as the cause.

    • They had to sell because the loss of a large chunk of endowment affected their ability to function. Universities have endowments because unless they have a profitable sports program- schools don’t make money. They need subsidy. Again Einstein just got a billion dollars. Bloomberg just gave his former school Johns Hopkins a billion as well. That’s how these things work. Sometimes those big gifts are so schools can expand

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