Last year, residential development in the South Bronx was booming. This year, builders are looking at their future tax bills – without the 421-a tax break – and realizing that it’s safer and cheaper to build hotels than apartments.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission’s backlog, which had been reduced from 95 items to 30 items in February, has taken another big step towards being cleared. On Tuesday, the LPC designated eight new city individual landmarks, and they span all five boroughs.
The South Bronx is suddenly booming with development, from affordable housing to market-rate rentals. But there are also plenty of hotels in the works, particularly in the area around Yankee Stadium. Last week, we spotted plans for an 11-story hotel at 859 Sheridan Avenue, between 159th and 161st streets in Concourse Village
Bronx-based property owner Nissan Cohen has filed applications for a three-story, eight-unit mixed-use building at 841A Morris Park Avenue, in Van Nest, located eight blocks from the Bronx Park East stop on the 2/5 trains. The structure will encompass 10,130 square feet and will feature 1,336 square feet of ground-floor retail space, in addition to a 389 square-foot doctors office, also located on the ground floor. The residential units will be located on the second and third floors and will average a rental-sized 714 square feet apiece. Jamaica-based Gerald Caliendo is the architect of record. The 51-foot-wide, 4,914-square-foot lot is currently vacant.
A WPA-era park in the Bronx is getting a bit of an update. Last Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved construction of a new entrance and pathway at the Crotona Play Center, located on the grounds of Crotona Park with the address 1700 Fulton Avenue.
