Jerome Avenue rezoning and Peninsula complex to bring thousands of affordable units to the Bronx

Rendering of the Peninsula by BLA + WXY

The New York City Council on Thursday unanimously approved the rezoning of 92-blocks along Jerome Avenue in the Bronx, bounded by East 165th Street to the south and 184th Street to the north. As the fourth neighborhood rezoning of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, the city plans to construct about 4,600 new apartments, adding to the mayor’s goal of bringing 300,000 units of housing to the city by 2026. The council has set aside $189 million in capital investment for workforce development, open space, parks and two new schools (h/t City Limits). A plan to bring even more affordable housing to the Bronx got the green light on Thursday after the Council approved The Peninsula, a $300 million plan to redevelop the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center as a mixed-use development.

Via NYC Planning

In a statement, de Blasio praised council members for their approval of the rezoning measure: “As we work to meet the challenges of a growing city, this plan allows for residential development – including permanently affordable housing – along the Jerome Corridor and makes key investments in businesses, jobs, job training and retraining. I thank Speaker Johnson, Land Use Committee Chair Salamanca, and, last but not least, Council Members Cabrera and Gibson and all Jerome residents who helped us get this plan right.”

The rezoning, which aims to boost residential and commercial development in an area currently zoned for auto-uses, requires a percentage of new development to fall under the city’s mandatory inclusionary housing policy. The Department of City Planning plans to subsidize new construction because rents in the corridor are too low to support market-rate housing.

The plan includes preserving 2,500 units of affordable housing, building a new gym at P.S. 247 as well as a new 458-seat primary school. The city will also provide $1.5 million in resources to help any auto shops that are forced to relocate from the rezoning.

Critics of the rezoning have concerns about the displacement of local businesses along the avenue and the lack of areas that would stay zoned for auto-businesses. During the City Planning Commission vote on the rezoning in January, Commissioner Michelle de La Uz opposed the proposal because of the risk of displacement for workers.

“The city continues to reduce areas zoned for manufacturing throughout the city without a comprehensive assessment of how those changes may cumulatively impact goods and services New Yorkers need and the decent jobs [that could be] lost, [employment accessible] often to immigrants and individuals with limited education. This is inconsistent with the mayor’s 100,000 jobs plan,” de La Uz said, according to City Limits.

Rendering of the Peninsula by BLA + WXY

Rendering of the Peninsula by BLA + WXY

Located on five-acres in Hunts Point, the Peninsula will include 740 units of 100 percent affordable housing, 52,000 square feet of open and recreational and over 50,000 square feet for a community facility and art workspace. Retail space, including Bronx-based businesses like Hunts Point Brewing Company and Lightbox NY film studio, and a wellness center operated by Urban Health Plan will come to the site.

The Peninsula’s construction is planned over three phases, the first expected to wrap up in 2021, the second in 2022 and the third in 2024. About 300 permanent jobs and 1,000 temporary construction jobs are expected to be delivered.

[Via City Limits]

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