CENTERS HEALTH CARE CELEBRATES NEW YEAR
Residents and staff at Triboro Center on Teller Avenue celebrated
the Chinese New Year on Friday, February 8 as the Lunar New Year
Dragon Dance Festivity took place and all of the residents who attended
the event had a great time dancing and laughing.
Photo courtesy of Centers Health Care/Triboro Center
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M BTR ARCH 1-7, 2019 65
BY GENE DEFRANCIS
The construction on Holland
Avenue and its surrounding
area is starting to be a little
excessive. There needs to
be regulation as to how much
construction can be done at
one time in a specifi ed area
and emergency repairs need
to be completed effi ciently and
promptly.
There is no parking near
and around our shopping area
and the construction is making
it worse. When different
agencies are not working on
the same page there becomes
a stand still. The city needs to
take our concerns seriously
because they are affecting our
livelihood. Many businesses
are suffering near and around
Holland Avenue because of the
construction. It has been very
noticeable.
We need parking. We have
a solution but it takes investments
and lots of money. When
we see money going to various
passion projects that solve
nothing but pander to a base
we are offended. Millions and
millions of dollars carelessly
tossed about with no return
on investment. We have solid
plans that would secure investments
that would spread
throughout the community.
Including the Allerton Incubator
project which we piloted
last year and are ready to send
it into full launch mode.
The Allerton Incubator
project will help local entrepreneurs
grow their business
and expand into a brick and
mortar in Allerton.
More lighting on Allerton
is also crucial. Investments in
storefront cameras. Improving
curb appeal to many of our
stores sidewalks and facades.
These investments will see a
return.
But namely we need parking.
A parking facility that
can help residents secure a
spot within minutes after coming
home from work and not
hours. Street parking for shop
customers and for customers
spending a lot of time on the
avenue that can use the parking
facility as well.
The Bronx drives. Especially
this section of the Bronx.
Many of us own homes. There
are forces trying to take our
cars and homes away bringing
in more people that we
don’t have the infrastructure
to handle.
We insist the city repair
our roads and provide us parking
to accommodate the new
housing they forced upon us.
As for the Holland construction,
it is not lost to our members
that the pipes being replaced
are larger. Meaning the
city is paving the way for more
building.
Generally they are not going
to Bronx residents who
want to stay in the Bronx but
going to various government
organizations pricing out our
kids who want to move out but
stay in their neighborhood.
Pricing out Bronx couples that
want to move in together and
stay in the Bronx. The excessive
amount the government
offers these landlord is pricing
us out.
So until we are respected
and our needs are met (more
parking, new schools, and
medical facilities) we will say
no to new development housing.
We can still build in the
Bronx, and we should build in
the Bronx, but not with the cities
foot on the throat of our homeowners.
If you agree then it’s time
to pay attention and stay involved.
We will eliminate the
drugs in our community. We
will protect our homeowners
and residents. We will promote
our local businesses to make
Allerton the best place to raise
a working class family.
Our next executive meeting
is Tuesday, March 5. Doors
open at 7 p.m. inside the beautiful
Sanz Banquet Hall, 815
Allerton Avenue.
Get your tickets before they
are all gone. Our Anniversary
Celebration is Saturday, May
18. Also at the Sanz at 7 p.m.
We will be honoring Allerton’s
own Steve Costas, Acting Commissioner
for DSNY. It’s going
to be a great night you don’t
want to miss. Get your journal
ads in today as well. For more
information email us at AllertonMerchants@
gmail.com.
And as always you can continue
to reach out with any
question comments concerns.
And join our Facebook page
(Allerton International Merchants
Association Inc.).
Your community is your
business.
BY MARY JANE MUSANO
Our next membership
meeting will be on Tuesday,
March 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the
First Lutheran Church on Hollywood
and Baisley avenues.
Please try to arrive on time as
we have three guest speakers
so we must start at 7:30 sharp.
John Cerini, our Bronx Tax
Man, will be speaking about
taxes and the new tax laws,
Joanne Mancini, from Ridgewood
Savings Bank, will be
speaking about banking issues
and ways to save your money
and Chrys Napolitano will be
talking about the Locust Point
CSA, the Farmer’s Market at
Preston High School and other
exciting food events. It is going
to be a meeting chock full
of information so please do not
miss it!
Blondell Commons Update
As most of you know, developers
have asked for zoning
changes to allow them to
build a nin- story residential
building in an area that is now
zoned commercial. This is not
an as of right project. They
need the city to change the
zoning for them to proceed.
Remember when we asked for
downzoning in our area? It
took us decades to get it and
as soon as we got it, our mayor
wanted to upzone our community.
The community came out
in large numbers to oppose
this zoning change. At meeting
after meeting the residents
of the community asked for the
project to be voted down. Both
Community boards 10 and 11
listened to the community and
voted not to allow the zoning
changes that would allow the
Blondell Commons project to
move forward. But unfortunately,
our borough president,
Ruben Diaz, Jr., voted in favor
of the zoning change. He
made his decision before Community
Board 10 voted.
Now, the NYC Department
of City Planning must cast
their vote. The last and most
important vote is that of Councilman
Mark Gjonaj. His vote
carries the most weight and
he can stop this project if he so
chooses. Councilman James
Vacca protected our community
from this zoning change
for eight years because he
knew it was not right for our
community. I encourage you
to e-mail Gjonaj at MGonaj@
council.nyc.gov or call his offi
ce (718) 931-1721. Demand
that he stand with both CB 10
and CB 11 and our community.
Ask him to vote down the zoning
change that would allow
Blondell Commons to move
forward.
We need to demand responsibility
from our government
agencies and our politicians.
We are building at a fast rate
with no regard for the infrastructure
needed to support
what we build. The schools
are overcrowded, the traffi c
and parking issues are abominable,
etc. We need to build responsibly
but that is not happening.
We also must consider
that changing the zoning on
Blondell Avenue is setting a
precedent that could hurt our
residential community and
our merchants, especially
those on Blondell Avenue. If
this change is approved, it is
likely to be tried on the rest of
Blondell as well as in other areas.
Actually, this is already
happening. We must stop it
now.
Our government thinks if a
project offers affordable housing
it should be built. But what
we really need is a good mix of
all kinds of housing that would
attract all kinds of people. In
this way, a community can
support all kinds of commercial
entities. Stores will only
come to a community if they
are very sure that the community
can support them. They
research the incomes of the
residents that live in that community
and that helps them in
their decision making. So, yes,
we do need affordable housing
but we need to have responsible
placement as well.
So, being that our city government
is not considering
any of these things, we must
join together and speak in a
very loud voice.
Please contact Councilman
Gjonaj today.
D u r i n g
month of March
the American
Legion started
a new program,
Call A Buddy.
This program
is designed to
retain membership in the legion,
on the post level, and
its a good way to reach out to
members who have not been
heard of in a while. I am sure
each post will have some plan
in place to accomplish this
mission, our job is to get involved
and lend a hand.
The Marine Corps League,
Yankee Detachment #255 has
been meeting
regularly the
second Wednesday
of every
month, 7 p.m.
They have a lot
of plans in the
works for the up
coming months, good bunch
of guys, always looking for ‘A
Few Good Marines.’
That’s all for now. Remember
to attend your meetings
and support your post. The
Legion does not serve us, we
serve the Legion.
We are stronger as one, let’s
work together.
God bless America.
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