Cuomo announces $10M in infrastructure and arts upgrades for the South Bronx
Image via Wikimedia Commons.
We’ve been keeping up with the booming development plans unfolding in the South Bronx, from a massive waterfront complex in the works to the city’s first soccer stadium. Today Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced specific plans for a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) award that underscores the momentum happening in what he called “the heart of the bustling Bronx.” The strategic investments are part of the governor’s ongoing efforts to revitalize the Bronx and create more opportunities in the Bronx Civic Center Downtown neighborhood. The funds will be used for 12 transformational projects in the South Bronx.
The neighborhood is defined as the area between 144th Street to the south, 165th Street to the north, the Harlem River on the west and St. Ann’s Avenue/East Third Avenue on the East. The strategic investments are intended to link commercial and cultural nodes within the Civic Center neighborhood to create a unified downtown and shore up the area’s economic growth while preserving its unique identity and heritage. Cuomo said, “These projects will advance the Borough by leaps and bounds, increasing amenities to existing South Bronx residents and bringing further investment and community pride to the Bronx.”
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said, “By listening to the specific needs of our community, these DRI projects will bring new life and vitality to our area by providing strategic resources to existing amenities and making it a more walkable, enjoyable place to live.”
A few of the projects that will get funding include:
- Expansion of the Andrew Freedman Home Cultural Art Center: Renovate the Andrew Freedman Home Cultural Art Center to accommodate theater, visual arts, music, dance, and other art productions, and space for workforce development and after-school programming. Refurbish and enhance the outdoor areas to increase public awareness of programming inside the historic center ($1,720,000);
- the creation of a programable sidewalk plaza on the 149th Street Bridge ($2,592,000);
- an upgrade for the BronxWorks Public Swimming Pool Facility ($429,000);
- support for the opening of the Bronx Kreate Space Artist-Maker Hub Provide gap funding to build out artist-maker co-working space in Mott Haven at the new Bronx Kreate Space. Planned improvements include gallery space, a café, low-cost workspace, artist studios and communal facilities ($595,000);
- improvements to the community garden at Melrose Common including solar power, Wi-Fi, and rainwater harvesting ($630,000);
- creation of a more welcoming gateway outside the East 161st Street – Yankee Stadium subway station by enhancing existing concrete medians with improved plantings. This project will complement other investments in the area ($227,000).
For more information visit the the governor’s website.
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