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More arrests made in Zottola killing
Vol. 38 No. 51 www.bxtimes.com
December 21-27, 2018
CB 11 hearing: 9 stories, parking and retail space
Yankees Pitch In
228 UNITS FOR
BLONDELL AVE.
Continued on Page 95
Continued on Page 95
Yankee Stadium’s Great Hall was once again transformed into
the North Pole as the New York Yankees hosted the ninth annual
Bronx Winter Wonderland event on Friday, December 14. The
event treated several thousand local youth to festive caroling
by the DREAM Choir, holiday decorations, food and drink and a
holiday gift courtesy of Walmart. Photo courtesy of New York Yankees
BY ALEX MITCHELL
More arrests have been
made in the murder of popular
Pelham Bayite Sylvester
‘Sally Daz’ Zottola and the attempted
murder of his son,
Salvatore Zottola.
Police arrested Arthur
(Scary) Codner, Himen (Ace)
Ross and Kalik McFarlane on
murder for hire charges on
Tuesday, December 18.
Before that, NYPD also
nabbed Zottola’s alleged killer,
ex-con Bushawn ‘Shelz’ Shelton
and accomplice Herman
(Taliban) Blanco just a month
after the fatal shooting on
Thursday, October 4.
Shelton allegedly shot
71-year-old Sally DAZ to death
while he was purchasing coffee
at a McDonald’s drive thru
lane at 1625 Webster Avenue.
Zottola was returning
home from a scheduled court
appearance for an incident involving
the illegal discharging
of a weapon during a selfdefense
incident that had
happened two months earlier.
According to police, Shelton
entered the McDonald’s
property through a hole in a
fence from an adjacent property,
fi red multiple 9-millimeter
rounds at Zottola before
escaping through the same
fence opening, and fl eeing in
a gray sedan. Shelton faces six
charges, murder for hire conspiracy
being the most severe.
Days after the killing, Shelton
was arrested by police
with a .32 caliber Armi Tanfoglio
Giuseppe semi-automatic
pistol in his possession, court
documents indicated.
The hit was allegedly ordered
by an Albanian crew
that was trying to muscle into
Sal’s extensive Joker Poker
BY PATRICK ROCCHIO
The developers of a largescale
apartment building
came before the Community
Board 11 for a zoning change.
The merits of a Uniform
Land Use Review Procedure
application that would rezone
a portion of Blondell Avenue
near Westchester Square and
Westchester Avenue for a 228-
unit residential development
were discussed at CB 11’s Land
Use Committee during a public
hearing on Tuesday, December
10.
Development group,
Blondell Equities LLC, is requesting
a zoning change for
a parcel at 1340 Blondell Avenue
to construct a 9-story affordable
residential building
that would include 225 on-site
parking spaces and groundfl
oor commercial use.
The proposal also includes
de-mapping a street that runs
through the property, from
the adjacent IRT#6 train yard
to Blondell Avenue.
The vacant parcel is currently
used to store vehicles,
according to developers, and
also contains a long shuttered
bar, said John Bonizio,
Westchester Square Business
Improvement District chairman.
Most of the property was
the home of Salient Auto
Wreckers for decades.
The Westchester Square
BID is not opposed to the project,
said Bonizio, adding that
the developer’s commitment
to include parking that would
be (partially) available to the
public weighted heavily in the
BID’s support.
“The BID is not opposed
to it because of the parking
component and because we
believe there is a need for affordable
housing throughout
the district and throughout
the Bronx,” he said. “This is a
better use for the land then its
present use.”
The BID chairman believes
that a ‘large-scale’ project like
this proposal could eventually
open up more of Blondell Avenue,
which is currently zoned
for industrial purposes and
used heavily for automotive
purposes, for future residential
development.
“Personally, I would like
to see all of Blondell Avenue
be used for housing,” he said,
adding that shops like those
currently lining the street are
already leaving for the nearby
Zerega Industrial Business
Park where space is more
plentiful.
/www.bxtimes.com