228 units for Blondell Ave.; CB 11 hearing: 9 stories, parking, retail
9-story affordable residential building
that would include 225 on-site parking
spaces and ground-fl oor commercial
use.
The proposal also includes demapping
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.
The rezoning application the
board is considering seeks to change
what is currently an M-1-1 zone into a
R7A with a commercial overlay.
According to the presentation
given by the developers on December
10, the project has been in the works
for 10 years.
The new building would contain
a total of 211,000 square feet of fl oor
space, and include a garage that
would heavily-rely on hydraulic lifts
to store vehicles.
In its current iteration, the developers
would set aside 15 percent of
the fl oor area for formerly homeless
veterans, according to their presentation.
As of press time, representatives
from Blondell Equities did not comment
further.
The proposed development sits
at the edge of CB 11, with Community
Board 10, which includes the
Westchester Square community in
its service area, starting on the western
side of Blondell Avenue.
Matt Cruz, CB 10 district manager
said that while the advisory opinion
in the ULURP process must come
from CB 11, CB 10 is hoping for an opportunity
to express its views on the
project as well.
“This is a big project and would
be one of the largest buildings in that
area,” said Cruz. “There are questions
about its impact on businesses
and the residents (that are nearby).”
Cruz said that his board has
reached out to the NYC Planning
Commission to request that CB 10
have a say in the ULURP.
After conversations with his
board members, Cruz said he was
particularly interested in the uses for
the ground fl oor commercial space.
Carl Anderson, who lives nearby
and attended the hearing, said he
would like the building to be offi ces
instead of apartments.
“Yes, there is a need for residential,
just put it somewhere else,” said
Anderson, who thinks it will overwhelm
the area in terms of traffi c
and infrastructure.
A Blondell Avenue resident, Marianne
Lacroce, said she was concerned
about safety issues because ambulances
often use the street to bypass
Westchester Square traffi c on their
way to the local hospitals.
Andrew Chirico, a CB 10 member
who attended the hearing, said that
there are many businesses on the
block now that employ people and
was concerned about their futures.
Chirico also questioned why such
a large building was being put on a
relatively narrow one-way street.
As of press time, CB 11 is scheduled
to have a second meeting on the
proposal on Thursday, December 20,
said Jeremy Warneke, the board’s
district manager.
BRONX W www.BXTimes.com EEKLY December 23, 2018 4
General Phone: (718) 260-4595
By Mail: Bronx Times Reporter
3604 B E. Tremont Avenue
Bronx, NY 10465
NEWS
Fax: (718) 518–0038
E-Mail: bronxtimes@cnglocal.com
DISPLAY ADVERTISING
Phone: (718) 260-4593
Fax: (718) 518–0038
E-Mail: lguerriero@cnglocal.com
CLASSIFIED
Phone: (718) 260–2555
Fax: (718) 260–2549
E-Mail: classified@cnglocal.com
The McDonald’s drive thru where Sally DAZ was executed.
Photo by Edwin Soto
This newspaper is not responsible for typographical errors in ads beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2018 by Bronx Times Reporter, Inc., a sub sidiary of
News Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. The content of this newspaper is protected by Federal copyright law. This newspaper, its advertisements, articles and photographs may not be reproduced,
either in whole or part, without permission in writing from the publisher except brief portions for purposes of review or commentary consistent with the law. Postmaster, send address changes to Bronx
Times Reporter, 3604 B E. Tremont Avenue, Bronx, NY 10465
MEMBER:
from Page 1
A preliminary artist rendering of how 1340 Blondell Avenue would look as proposed currently.
More arrests in
‘Sally Daz’ killing
video game and juke
box business, according
to police reports.
Each of the three new
suspects are members of
the notorious ‘Bloods’
gang, the Eastern District
Court confirmed.
More than that, they
are now suspects in Zottola’s
murder. There’s
now more of a case to
be presented in the attempted
murder of his
son, also likely connected
to the same crew.
According to court
documents, the suspects
began plotting the hits
on or around Thursday,
March 1.
Before the October 4
killing of his father, Salvatore
survived a similar
attempt on his own
life on early Wednesday
morning of July 11.
Prior to the recent arrests,
that gunman had
remained at-large.
The shooting happened
outside of Zottola’s
massive Locust
Point compound on the
corner of Tierney Place
and Longstreet Avenue
at approximately 6:40
a.m.
After taking bullets
to the head, torso and
hand, the 41-year-old
rolled for cover behind
a Chrysler mini-van as
the attempted killers
fled the scene.
At the time he was
rushed to Jacobi Medical
Center in ‘critical,
but stable condition.’
Police recovered at
least four bullet casings
from that hit.
The father and son
built a lavish multifamily
waterfront complex
in Locust Point, where
that shooting occurred.
It was used primarily
as a summer home for
the family.
An investigation
into the murder and attempted
murder are still
ongoing as police attempt
to connect more
suspects to the subsequent
incidents.
Zottola’s daughter,
Debbie Zottola, previously
told the Bronx
Times how in the advent
of her father’s passing,
she just wants him remembered
as a caring
gentleman.
“He was a good man
not a goodfella and he
was a wise man not a
wiseguy,” she said.
from Page 1
link
/www.BXTimes.com
/www.BXTimes.com
/www.BXTimes.com
link
link