Friday, February 5, 2010

Round'em Up

Here are some Bronx-related stories which we've rounded up you, our lovely readers, while trolling the interweb with our horse and lasso this fine morning:

The City has ordered the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center's 10-bed homeless shelter to close, even though the community supports having the shelter there [New York Times]

A look at the evolution of graffiti throughout NYC over the years [New York Times]

A review of the movie 'Falling Awake,' which the critic calls a Latino Bronx Tale [New York Times]

An inside look at 'Benny From The Bronx,' a regular caller well-known in the sports talk radio loop [Daily News]

An examination of the history of the lack of hotels in the BoogieDown [BxNN]

A softball interview with Pedro Espada [Daily News via BxNN]
BD NOTE: Warning - this interview is nearly 15 minutes of Pedro yammering on and on and on using nothing but the usual political rhetoric to make himself look good. I suggest you skip to the 4:45 mark, where you can watch Pedro stammer, "Let's take the Bronx, where I, I, I, I'm from..." Why so nervous Pedro? We already know you're from the Bronx...we would have been much more interested to hear you say where you currently LIVE.
A report on the public hearing regarding a change in zoning laws to allow a developer to add ten stories to his health care clinic for moderate income apartments [BxNN]
BD NOTE: Here's what we posted as a comment on BxNN regarding what appears to have gone down at the meeting:

I am confused by what seems to have gone on at the hearing... Currently Mr. Daneshvar is adding on 3 stories to expand the health care clinic, right? And this expansion fits in with current zoning laws for the area, from what I've read.

The real issue seems to have been overshadowed at the hearing, which is the additional TEN stories that Mr. Daneshvar wants to add on to build moderate income rental units. I'm baffled as to why Medalliance supporters would hold signs saying "More Jobs, More Health." How would increased congestion and an out of character 10+ story building improve people's health?


And Medalliance's land use lawyers arguing that most patients take mass transit to the health clinic does nothing to explain how all the additional residents living in the 58 unit apartment complex will be getting around.


I don't think anyone really has a problem with the health clinic expanding by 3 stories, it's more the additional 10 stories that Daneshvar wants to build as apartments. Medalliance's supporters seem to be confusing the issue here.
~ErLu

4 comments:

Gregory Lobo Jost said...

The parks department closing down the overnight shelter program at the KHCC is absurd, especially considering that they were able to violate their “land dedicated for park purposes cannot be conveyed or used for any other purpose” policy for both the filtration plant and the new Yankee Stadium. Talk about selective enforcement! I say bus the 10 homeless people to Commissioner Benepe's house every night till he comes to his senses.

Gregory Lobo Jost said...

P.S. I had the same thought about Espada's stammering!

Jay Shuffield said...

It's not entirely clear, but it sounds like Medalliance is looking to use revenue from the residential development to help support the medical center. If that's what they're trying to do, there would be a real link between jobs the development and jobs.

It would help if the proponents could clearly explain how the overall program is supposed to work together.

Anonymous said...

The parks department can't even get grass planted in Van Cortlandt Park correctly. Have you even seen the crowds there during the 4th of July and during the summer? Looks like a refugee camp. Seems like they have enough to manage already. Can't expect them to get this one right.